Twilit Nightfall

Chapters

Get Out Alive
Hidden Meanings
-Bonus- Plains of Eternity
Already Gone
Silhouette of a Life: Part 1
Silhouette of a life: Part 2
Spike's Interlude
Seven Days to the Wolves -part 1-
Bah!
Conversations in the Dark

Get Out Alive

Twilit Nightfall

Chapter 1

'Get Out Alive'

Twilight Sparkle ran faster than she even knew possible in her fatigued state. She could still hear the ragged breathing of the things behind her and that was all she needed to keep the adrenalin and fear coursing through her like the venom of a snake. Her rational mind had all but shut down a long time ago, leaving her running on near total instinct. A small part of her mind had at least tried to keep rational though going, but it was losing fast. The rational part of Twilight thought that if given a moment or two to stop and take in her surroundings, her current location would be quite breathtaking. She was galloping at full speed down a hallway of some sort. It was most likely wide enough that three of four ponies could run side by side, with the wingspan of a pegasus between them and still have enough room between them and the wall for a young colt or filly. It was probably decorated as well, but Twilight couldn't tell in the darkness outside of her small field of vision. But the instinct driven part had countered with the fact that if she stopped, even for a moment, she'd be dead. So the rational part kept quiet, and the instincts ran wild.

Eventually, Twilight found a set of doors. Forgetting that they were solid and would most likely hurt upon impact, she ran straight, gathering speed, then hurled herself shoulder first into the doors, which burst open at the hinges and collapsed under the weight of pure fear. The lavender unicorn hit the ground and groaned in pain for a moment. Then she got up and started galloping again, headed for another door on the opposite side of the small room she was in. Thankfully it was not locked, but it had a key sticking out of the keyhole, so, Twilight grabbed the key in her lavender colored magic, opened the door, then quickly walked inside the new room. She turned around and locked the door with the key, then, leaving the key so it would get stuck in the lock, she broke it and ran down a new hallway. It was a bit brighter in this hallway, due to the fact that it overlooked some form of courtyard and the moon was still high in the sky. Just ahead she could see another door and a grand, if a bit faded red carpet leading towards it.

Twilight slowed down and opened the door as she reached it. She noted the emblem on the doors, which was a single draconic looking eye. It split in half along the slit-like pupil as she pushed with her uninjured shoulder. She took a look around and for a moment forgot what was chasing her. The room before Twilight was set up similar to the throne room in Canterlot, however, the architecture was slightly different. Whereas the stained glass windows of the throne room in Canterlot depicted Celestia, Luna, and Twilight and her friends, these windows were dark and foreboding. The throne itself looked comfortable, but instead of white marble, it was made of a black stone that seemed to shine in the pale moonlight leaking in from the windows. The throne room itself was far from inviting. It looked more like the kind of room Twilight expected and evil monarch to reign from. The walls below the windows were jet black. The pillars that led up to the high ceiling were of the same color and were made with sharp angles that looked almost like six-pointed stars. The brackets that held torches were made of a dark colored metal and looked like they could skewer a pony if they had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of the ire of the ruler of the building.

Twilight slowly made her way up to the throne. When she got to the small flight of steps leading to the imposing piece of furniture, she stopped, suddenly more terrified than she had been in her entire life. She tried to turn and run, but found her body would not listen to her anymore. Fear blotted out any and all rational thought in the lavender mares mind as a bluish-purple mist suddenly began coalescing around her and the throne. Suddenly, the mist formed a tail. Then a set of legs and a body. Then a slender neck and mane. Then the head and a familiar looking helmet. The being in front of Twilight Sparkle flared its wings and brandished a horn before opening its eyes to reveal teal colored eyes with draconic slits in them.

Nightmare Moon glared down at Twilight, who was still paralyzed with fear. The Mare in the Moon bared her vampiric fangs, then swooped down on her victim, aiming for the neck. As the Dark Alicorn sank her fangs into the lavender mare, Twilight Sparkle woke up, screaming in terror and drenched in cold sweat.

Twilight almost immediately calmed down as she took in her surroundings. She was in her room in her library, safe and sound. Spike was sleeping in his basket close by. She marveled at how the young dragon could still be sleeping even after all the noise she had just made.

“I swear, there could be a tornado going on right above him and he wouldn't notice a thing...” Twilight said with a shaky laugh. She looked over at her clock, which read two thirty in the morning and sighed. She resigned herself to another day of being tired as she got up and went to take a shower.

“Three weeks...” Twilight sighed as she turned on the water, “Three weeks this has been going on...” she had been keeping track of the number of days she had been having the same nightmare and it was adding up quickly.

“Because of this recurring nightmare, I can't study like I used to...” Twilight lamented to herself, “It's even beginning to affect my relationships with my friends...”

Twilight had, at first, just written the nightmare off as a bad case of nerves, but when she had started snapping at her friends over the little things, like when Applejack and Rainbow Dash, her competitive friends had started a friendly hoof wrestling match on the kitchen table and had accidentally knocked over one of the cups Twilight had set out for them. She would have chastised them normally, yes, but she wouldn't have picked them up by their tails with her magic and tossed them into the river that ran through Ponyville. When Rainbow Dash had flown back to yell at her, she found Twilight passed out on the small couch she kept in the basement lab, twitching and crying out in fear and pain.

It was then that Twilight had taken to shutting herself in and studying as much as she could about recurring dreams and nightmares. The unfortunate things about this were that Spike was almost always helping out his big sister with her research and on the receiving end of Twilight's temper, which was growing shorter and shorter with each passing day and that, while an excellent repository of knowledge, the Golden Oaks Library just did not have too many books on the subject of dreams. Twilight figured that she would have to go to Canterlot or one of the other large cities to find what she needed.

Twilight turned off the water and stepped out of the tub and her thoughts turned to how she could make things up to both her friends and Spike. Spike was easy enough. With him being a baby dragon, Twilight figured that taking him to go see a movie or letting him go to one with Rarity would be good enough, but the rest of her friends were a different story.

“Ugh... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it,” Twilight said matter-of-factly as she dried herself off and left the bathroom. She walked into the kitchen and started making herself some coffee. Eventually, when it was finished brewing, she lay down in front of the fire place and started reading the most recent book on dreams to help calm her nerves.

Twilight shivered at the memory of her nightmare, and unconsciously put a hoof to her throat. She could almost feel those fangs biting into her neck. It scared her to think that such a thing could have existed, once upon a time. In addition to research into dreams, Twilight had taken it upon herself to research vampirism. As time passed, Twilight still had no luck in either subject, her books failing her when she needed them.

“Ugh...” the lavender mare sighed tiredly, “I think I need to write Celestia about this...”

She resigned herself to asking for help, then levitated a scroll and quill over to where she lay and wrote her letter:

Dear Princess Celestia,

Lately I have been having trouble sleeping. Due mostly to a recurring nightmare that's been bothering me for the past three weeks or so. I've tried looking through every book I can about the subject of dreams and I have come up with nothing that even looks like it could help me with my problem.

I was wondering if there was anything you knew of that could help? I'm getting desperate and this nightmare is beginning to affect my relationships with my friends. Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Twilight finished writing the letter, rolled it up, and tied it with a bit of red ribbon that had an emblem of her cutie mark attached to it. She then set the letter on a nearby table for Spike to send later. A few hours later, Spike walked down stairs. Twilight looked up at her assistant and gave a tired smile.

"Ok, that's a weird smile," Spike said, "It's creeping me out a little bit..."

"Oh..." Twilight said sheepishly as her smile faded, "I'm sorry... I'm just tired...."

Twilight tried and failed to stiffle a huge yawn as she said, "There's a letter over here I want you to send... Alright?"

"You ok, Twi?" the young dragon asked, "I'll send the letter, but you look like you saw Nightmare Moon again..."

"I... don't... know..." Twilight said slowly, her exauhsted mind processing what Spike had just said. 'What if it IS Nightmare Moon?' Twilight thought to herself, 'This could be a big problem if it is her...'

"Hello! Equestria to Twilight! Are you home?" Spike said loudly.

"Huh... What?" Twilight asked sluggishly, "What did you say?"

Spike looked at his mother figure with concern and said, "I said I sent the letter, then I asked if you wanted some breakfast, but you were completely zonked out... It almost looked like that impersonation of your brother you did when he got hit by that mind control spell Chrysalis hit him with...."

Twilight shook her head to clear it, then said, "Thank you, Spike. Some food would be great right now... Pancakes if, that isn't too much trouble..."

"Not at all!" Spike said, giving a crisp salute, "Some pancakes and a pot of coffe, coming right up!"

"Thanks again, Spike, I'd be lost without you..." Twilight said, giving the dragon a quick hug, "I have a few things I need to research, so would you mind bringing the coffee to my study when it gets done?"

"Uh.. Sure thing," Spike said, still looking at Twilight with concern as she left the kitchen, heading towards a book case.

When she got to the book case, Twilight began looking for anything that her library had concerning the pre-banishment era. 'If I can't find anything about what's going on in my head in the newest books on the subjects, then I might as well go to the oldest ones and see what I can find,' Twilight reasoned, 'Besides, I should be hearing from the Princess soon, so this will pas some time...'

About half an hour later, Spike walked back out into the library to see a huge mess of books stacked, tossed, and just left around the room.

"Whoa, Twi..." Spike whistled, "No luck, huh?"

"ARGH!!!" Twilight yelled in frustration, "I've combed through every single book in this damn tree, but I can't find a single thing about what's going on with me!"

"It's alright, Twi," Spike said, picking his way carefully over to his mother, "You wrote the Princess, she should be able to help, right?"

"I... I'm just so scared..." Twilight said as she turned towards her assistant, her eyes tearing up, "I haven't been able to get any decent sleep because of these nightmares... I just don't know what to do anymore..."

Spike pulled his mom in for a hug and said in the most soothing voice he could, "It's going to be alright, Twilight...."

Twilight hugged Spike for a few minuets before the little dragon broke the hug, turned his head away from the books and the mare in front of him, and burped a tounge of green flame. From the flame came a letter, emblazoned with a royal seal that Twilight didn't recognize. She levitated the scroll to reading level, and opened it.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I am sure that this letter comes as a bit of a surprise to you, however, Celly does not have the experience with dreams that I do. If you have not already guessed from the seal on the letter, it is I, Princess Luna who is writing back to you.

Celestia did in fact recieve your letter, and is quite worried about you. If fact, as soon as she recieved it, she came straight to my chambers and asked me to contact you as soon as I was able.

Regarding your recent bout of bad dreams, I will be coming to Ponyville shortly after you recieve this letter to speak with you about the matter. I would like all of the details before I try anything to help.

I hope that your friends are well, please give them my regards.

HRH, Princess of the Night, etc.

Princess Luna

"Well... I wasn't expecting that," Twilight said as she finished reading the letter.

"Neither was I..." Spike said, "But Princess Luna is ruler of the night, so I guess she must have some power over dreams or something?"

"I guess so."

The two looked around and Twilight said, "Would you stack these as best you can? I'm sure that Luna wouldn't want to come into a messy place like this... I'm going to get another cup of coffee."

"Sure thing, Twi," spike said with a quick nod of his head and a crisp salute.

Twilight made her way to the kitchen and pured herself another cup of coffee. As she finished pouring, she looked out the window and saw that the weather patrol had pushed together some clouds and were preparing for a rainy day. She took her first sip of the liquid as the first drops of rain and claps of thunder started. Just then, a knock sounded at her front door and she heard Spike say, "I've got it!"

Twilight walked out of the kitchen and found, standing in the doorway, framed by the lightning and rain, wearing the cloak she had come to Ponyville on Nightmare Night, Princess Luna.

"Twilight Sparkle," the lunar princess said, "I would have words with you. May I come in?"

Hidden Meanings

Chapter 2: Hidden Meanings

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna said, this time a little less loudly, "May I come in?"

"Of course!" Twilight said hastily bowing, "But I would like to know... Why did you need permission? You're a princess, couldn't you just say 'Grr, I'm a princess, let me in' or something like that?"

Luna chuckled as she placed her cloak on the coat rack beside the door and said, "It's only polite to ask permission, even if the one asking IS a princess."

"Oh, right," Twilight said sheepishly, "Well, how about we get something to drink?"

"Already ahead of you," Spike said from the kitchen as he brought over three cups of coffee.

At the sight of the third mug, Twilight stared. Nonplussed, Spike said, "What? I want to help out. Besides, I doubt you'll be able to sleep, so me staying up and making you two coffee would be a good idea."

"I think he has a point," Luna said with a smile, "Besides, coffee sounds amazing at this moment."

Twilight sighed, then said with a smile, "Thank you, Spike. I really appreciate this."

"It's the least I can do for you, Twilight," Spike said.

"Well, down to business, I suppose," Luna said, "I believe you have been having some nightmares, is that right, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed and nodded, "So, where would you like to start?"

"Describe the dreams to me, please," Luna said.

Twilight hesitated for a moment before launching into her description, "I start off in this hallway in a huge beautiful castle. It's always a different part of the castle as well, which is about the only thing that sets the nightmares apart from one another. Before too long, these... almost canine things start chasing me. Sometimes I can get away from them for long enough to catch my breath, others I can only evade them until I can get to the throne room. When I get to the throne room, everything seems to slow down. It's almost like the things chasing me have stopped. I cautiously walk up to the throne when I stop and I'm suddenly more afraid than I've ever been in my life.... Her smoky form starts to appear and she solidifies in front of me...."

"Who appears, Twilight?" Luna asked, laying a reassuring hoof on Twilight's.

"Nightmare Moon," Twilight says fearfully, "She's always the one in the throne room. And every time...."

Twilight choked out a sob as a hoof suddenly shot to her neck. She rubbed it before bringing her cup of coffee up to her lips and taking a drink. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and said, "Every time, she brings me in for an embrace. I actually nuzzle into her coat because I feel so safe. But then... She whispers in my ear ,'I'm sorry' before she sinks her fangs into me.... That's usually when I wake up..."

Spike sat back and drank his coffee while he listened to Twilight's explanation. He knew something was up when Twilight had started waking up screaming, but he didn't know it was this bad. Luna, on the other hand, had downed her coffee in a single swig. She listened with a morbid fascination. And a knowing look.

"Twilight, I feel I should explain something to you...." Luna said after a pause, "And I'm afraid that you will not like it."

"Right, but before that," Spike interrupted, "There's something I don't get about this while thing."

"What would that be?" Twilight asked.

"Why is Nightmare Moon in your dreams when Princess Luna is sitting right here?" Spike asked, "It doesn't make any sense. Unless Nightmare Moon really was a spirit possessing the princess."

Luna stared for a minuet before responding, "I believe that she may have attached some part of herself to you. I will need to examine your dream to be sure, however. And yes, Spike, she was a spirit."

"What about those dog looking things she described?" Spike asked curiously, "What do they mean?"

"Ah. Those," Luna said, "They are called Hellions. They normally herald extremely ill fortune upon the dreamer...."

"What about unusual happenings?" Twilight asked.

"A choice," Luna said, softly, "Between a path of light or a path of darkness. However, whenever I have seen the dreams of ponies plagued with Hellions, they chose the darkness. For some, it was for survival. Others, power. And still others, out of fear....."

Luna trailed off after she finished speaking, lost in her own thoughts. The silence in the library continued even as Spike refilled everyone's coffee. Luna opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Twilight who asked, "Is it possible to create a body for Nightmare Moon to inhabit?"

Luna and Spike were rendered speechless. Spike found his voice first, however and asked, "You really want to bring Nightmare Moon, the pony who tried to make it night forever back to life? What the hay for?!"

"I am in agreement with Spike on this matter," Luna said, "And even if it were possible, it is not something that I would do. I suppose, that since Nightmare is currently little more than a spirit, benign or otherwise, she would be able to inhabit a soul-less body.... But no, it is not possible to create a body that she would be able to possess. "

"If necessary, I can remove her influence from you," Luna added as an after thought.

"Ah," was all Twilight said before taking a drink of coffee. She looked curious about something before shaking her head as if dispelling the thought as stupid.

"Speak your mind, Twilight," Luna encouraged, "I promised you answers, and answers you shall have."

"Do you know why Nightmare Moon seemed..... Vampiric?" Twilight asked, "I thought it kind of odd that a pony would have fangs when I saw her..."

"In order to understand that, I must tell you of the Blessing," Luna replied.

"The blessing?" Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued once more, "What do you mean? Like blessing the mother of a foal during child birth?"

"Not exactly," Luna explained, "The Blessing is more of an ancient ritual that I used to make a being in to a vampire, like Nightmare Moon, and by extension, Myself. However, because Nightmare Moon was the persona in control of.... our body at the time, she inherited all of the traits of a vampire, while I simply inherited the need for blood as sustenance."

"Wait.... So you're a vampire?!" Spike exclaimed in shock, his paws shooting to the sides of his neck, "Don't drink my blood!!! I'm too young to be drained of my body fluids!!!"

Luna chuckled at the young drakes antics and said, "You needn't worry yourselves. I've no fangs to pierce skin or scale and I've already had my evening drink."

Luna opened her mouth to show that there were indeed, no fangs to speak of, just the usual herbivore teeth that most ponies had. In addition, Luna pulled out a flask with a label of O positive from her cloak. It was half empty.

"Why does that flask say 'O positive' on it?" Spike asked after he had calmed down a bit.

"Think of blood as one of your gemstones," Luna said to Spike, "They all have different tastes and scents depending on the age of the gem, the quality of the gem, and the type of gem, am I right?"

"Yes," Spike nodded, "Like how a ruby tastes like cherry, but a sapphire tastes like a blueberry."

"Yes, you've got it!" Luna said happily, "Just like your gems taste different depending on the type and such, so does blood. In my case, O positive blood, donated by ponies in their prime, tastes like orange juice with a slight carbonated sensation if it is cold, and the bite of alcohol if it is warm."

"That's.... Kind of tasty sounding, actually," Twilight spoke up as she examined the flask, "But how do you keep the blood from coagulating in the flask? A spell, right?"

"Of course," Luna said, "During our... absence, Celestia had researched the blessing and its potential side effects on me. I had written a tome or two on the Blessing in general, as a reference guide for myself and any inductees to my Blessed Circle. They were readily available before my rebellion, however, Celestia stopped their circulation and sent those of my Circle who had refused to participate in the battle into hiding, to keep them safe. The offspring of those who stayed loyal to Equestria are what make up my Night Guard today. I am getting off topic, however.... Celestia researched a way to keep my main form of sustenance from drying out. These flasks are what she eventually came up with. There are two kinds. This one, keeps the blood cool, and the other one keeps it warm. They both have a spell to prevent the coagulation of blood as well."

"That's fascinating!" Twilight said, her more nerdy habits showing, "I'd love to get a hold of one and see how the spells work!"

"As much as I'd like to give you one," Luna said with a chuckle, "I'm afraid Celestia has the ones she did not give to me, the Night Guard, or their families locked in the Vault. And in any case, I believe we ended up incredibly off topic."

"Oh yeah...." Twilight said with a blush.

"So," Spike said, "Why are you a vampire?"

"Nightmare Moon," Luna said simply, "She originally gave the blessing to herself because of the power it gave her. Unfortunately, that power paled in comparison to the Elements of Harmony. Despite it's eventual use, I originally created the Blessing as a means to fight back against the darker things in the world. It was to be used as sword and shield of the races of Equis. And, unfortunately, some of the Blessing bled over to me."

"But then Nightmare Moon happened," Spike said.

Luna nodded and continued speaking, "Yes. Nightmare Moon possessed my body and morphed it into a form similar to what you saw on the Summer Solstice those years ago. It was not until after she performed the ritual upon us that she gained the fangs and her ability to turn into mist."

"What about thralls?" Spike asked, "Where do they come into play?"

"How do you know about thralls?" Luna asked, taken aback by the amount of knowledge Spike had.

Spike flushed a little in embarrassment and scuffed the floor with a foot before saying, "Well, I do live with an obsessive compulsive egghead. Kinda natural that at least some of her habits would rub off on me, y'know?"

"I'm curious too," Twilight said, "The few books I have that mention vampires also mentioned thralls, but didn't go into any amount of detail on them. Could you tell us about them?"

"Certainly," Luna said, "Thralls are beings who have been fed upon by a vampire. Either by force or by their own will, it matters not. They are not exactly slaves, but they always feel a sort of tug towards the vampire who fed upon them. Think of it sort of like a symbiotic relationship. The thrall gains an attachment to the vampire and heals faster than normal and the vampire has a source of blood to feed upon."

"Have any vampires abused this relationship before?" Twilight asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Luna replied sullenly, "Some vampires fed as a form of torture... Draining their thralls almost to the point of death, but left them with just enough to live, only to let them recover and drain them again. It often continued until the thrall angered the vampire and the vampire killed the thrall in a fit of blood rage."

Spike let out a low whistle and said, "Dang.... I don't envy those guys.... Can a vampire choose who they make a thrall? Or does it happen any time they feed?"

"The vampire can choose," Luna said firmly, "Choice is what the blessing is based upon and that is not something that will ever change."

"That's good to know," Twilight said, "I'd hate to be stuck somewhere and need to feed and end up making thralls every time. Just wouldn't be very productive at all."

Luna chuckled, "I suppose not. But I have to wonder.... With all this questioning about vampires.... Do you want the Blessing, Twilight?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Twilight lapsed into a long, thoughtful silence. She had almost heard enough to write a book on the subject, to be sure, and from the pony who had created the blessing as well. Mulling the thought over and over, Twilight shook her head.

"I don't think it would be a good idea right now..." Twilight said slowly, as if choosing her words carefully, "But, in the future, it may be something to consider."

Luna was about to say something when Spike let out a huge yawn. Looking towards the clock on the wall, she said, "It has gotten quite late. I suppose it is time for everyone to go to sleep."

Trying and failing to stifle a yawn, Twilight had to agree, "I guess so... If you'd like, you can sleep here tonight, Luna."

"If you insist, Twilight," Luna said, "I will be reading down here. I am awake most nights anyway. Also, you will not have to worry about your dreams while I am here. Nightmares will not trouble you this night."

"Thank you, Luna," Twilight said sleepily as she levitated Spike in her magic. She walked up the stairs to her room and stopped at the top before turning and saying, "Goodnight, Luna."

"Goodnight, Twilight," Luna replied with a smile. She waited until she heard the door to Twilight's bedroom click closed before bringing the three cups into the kitchen and putting them into the sink. She turned and went into the living room, grabbing a pillow to lay on. She laid down in front of the fireplace and closed her eyes in concentration, her horn glowing a soft blue color.

When Luna opened her eyes again, she began her journey through the castle Twilight had described, searching for Nightmare Moon.

-Bonus- Plains of Eternity

Sorry about this not being the real chapter 4.... Life has kinda gotten in the way lately, which kinda sucks for me. But, I did manage to write something out. Short but sweet, and I hope you like it!!!

Also, this cements Nightmare moon's new name, now I've just gotta finish writing out chapter 4. Expect it some time next week!!!

-Timeline Unknown-

Serene led Twilight through Canterlot's winding streets on a starry night. Twilight would have normally been wary of following the being that was once Nightmare Moon, but recent times had changed her mind. That still didn't make Twilight any less curious as to their destination.

“Where are we going again?” Twilight asked for the thousandth time that night.

Serene giggled and responded in a sing song voice, “You'll see when we get there!”

Twilight just huffed in a playfully annoyed manner. After everything that the couple had been through, it was hard to see her marefriend doing anything unsavory. So, Twilight just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Eventually, the sound of pounding bass hit Twilight's ears.

“A club?” Twilight asked incredulously, “We're going to a club?”

“Yep!” Serene said enthusiastically, “I... or rather, Luna, knew the DJ here....”

Serene lapsed into a thoughtful silence after her declaration, memories assaulting her. Then, rather like Pinkie Pie on a sarsaparilla binge, she bounced right back and took the lavender mare beside her by the hooves and bounced into the building.

Twilight, who was used to her mate's eccentricities, allowed herself to be dragged into the club where the music was louder and more forceful. She looked around and saw a bar, lined with ponies getting drinks and enjoying them. There was a dance floor and all of the ponies there were dancing in time with the loud music, sweating, all with huge grins on their faces.

“Go out onto the dance floor, Twiliy!” Serene yelled in Twilight's ear, “I've got to talk to the DJ for a moment!'

“I don't....!' Twilight began in protest, but Serene was already headed towards a blue maned mare with sunglasses on that was sitting behind various DJ equipment. Sighing and smiling, Twilight moved to the dance floor.

After a few moments, the music died down and the blue maned mares voice came over the speakers.

“HEEELLLOOOO, CANTERLOT!” She bellowed, “This is DJ PON-3 with a small announcement!”

The crowd groaned and the DJ said, “I know, I know, total buzz kill, right? But I have a guest up here that said she wants to sing for her marefriend!!”

The crowd all turned and looked up at the booth in equal measures of curiosity and confusion. They saw Serene looking down at one spot in the crowd in particular and waving a hoof. Twilight saw several heads turn in her direction and tried to make herself as small as possible.

Serene took the mic from the DJ and said, “Twilight Sparkle, I love you. This is for you, beautiful!!”

Then the music started. It started off a bit slow for the type of club that was being run, then the guitar started playing. Then Serene's voice filled the club, starting off quietly at first, then getting louder as she hit the chorus. Twilight felt her heart flutter faster than it had in every battle she'd been in up to that point. She felt light headed as she danced along to the music. Seeing how much fun Twilight was having, Serene began walking towards her as the music ended. She moved the mic out of the way as she got to her lover and kissed her. Twilight blushed heavily into the kiss as the crowd cheered their approval.

“Well!” DJ PON-3 said, “congrats to the lucky couple! Now, I'm gonna get a drink and do the same for my marefriend! 'TAVI!!! Come here you beautiful pony you!!!” The DJ stepped down from the booth and went to the back of the club where a grey coated, black maned mare was waiting with an exasperated smile.

“Did you like that?” Serene asked in a quiet voice.

“I was embarrassed half to death, kissed in front of half of Canterlot, and.... just listened to the most beautiful thing I've heard in a long time...” Twilight said breathlessly, “I didn't like it, I loved it.... and I love you.” she went in for another kiss as the crowd began dancing to the tracks that the DJ had started before she left.

Already Gone

Chapter 4: Already Gone

"Spike! Luna! Are you two ready for Pinkie Pie's party?" Twilight shouted from her spot at the foot of the stairs.

It had been about a day, which was a bit unusual for Pinkie, Twilight noted, because the energetic pink mare normally put together a party at the drop of a hat. Not that Twilight, Spike and Luna were complaining, though. It was more the fact that Pinkie, while a very good friend and an amazing lay (according to her marefriends Ditzy Doo and Rainbow Dash, anyway), Pinkie rarely considered that anypony may have plans or that they might not want a huge party.

"Not yet!" Luna called back, "I am attempting to find something to wear...."

Spike, who had come out from the bathroom after a quick shower, and Twilight looked at each other before bursting into fits of giggles. Twilight trotted up to her room, where Luna was searching in vain for something to wear.

"I should probably mention that Pinkie's parties are largely informal," Twilight said in between giggles, "She rarely ever does anything too serious."

"Ah," Luna said sheepishly, "Then I guess leaving my regalia behind would be a good idea, then?"

"Yup!" Twilight said enthusiastically, "It would also keep ponies from treating you too much like royalty, I think."

"Thank you, Twilight," Luna said, "I appreciate the help."

---`

A few minuets later found Spike, Twilight, and Luna entering Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie burst out of the ceiling exclaiming, "SURPRISE!!!!!"

Twilight and Spike, who had been to many of Pinkie's parties before were more than ready for her antics. Luna, on the other hand..... Not so much. The lunar Princess practically jumped out of her fur when Pinkie appeared. She landed on her hooves, a little shaken, but relatively fine.

"Pinkie, Ah think you done went and gave the poor girl a heart attack," said a pony with a slight Southern twang in her accent. Luna looked around and found the source of the voice, remembering her name as Applejack, who was surrounded by Twilight's other friends, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

"It is alright, ladies," Luna said with a smile, "Apparently it is something I must get acquainted with if I am to be friends with you all."

With the introductions out of the way, Luna, Twilight, and the rest of the girls proceeded to party. The usual cake, refreshments and games were there, with some decent music going on, courtesy of Vinyl Scratch, and occasionally her fillyfriend Octavia. They partied pretty hard, til Pinkie called everything to a stop.

"Okie doki, everypony!" Pinkie said, gathering everyones attention, "It's time for all the little colts and fillies to get home and get some rest. If I could have Cheerilee and Ditzy escort the foals home, I'd really appreciate it!! I'll even save you some of those banana nut muffins you like so much, Ditzy!!!"

The named mares, Cheerilee, the local school teacher, and Ditzy Doo, the occasional goof up mailmare, nodded and began to round up the foals. Before Ditzy could get too far, however, Luna beckoned the mare over.

"Miss Doo," Luna began, "I know what you have done in service to Equestria and for my sister. And I want to thank you for your service."

Ditzy nodded, closing her eyes. At first glance, it seemed that Ditzy was wall-eyed, but upon closer inspection, it turned out that her left eye was made of glass. Not very many ponies knew about Ditzy Doo, the retired Solar Guard, but those that did were asked to keep things quiet. Ditzy said her reasons for doing so were because she wanted a quiet life for herself and her daughter, Dinky.

"Thank you," Ditzy said, "But I was only doing my job."

"Nonsense," Luna said, "It may seem that way to you, but to me, to the sister of Celestia the pony, it means the world to me. Should you need something, ask, and I will do my best to give it."

Ditzy gaped for a moment before nodding slowly and muttering thanks. She turned and continued gathering up foals and a reluctant Spike who was stubbornly refusing to leave, even though he was starting to fall asleep on his feet.

After Cheerilee and Ditzy had left with the foals, Pinkie got everyone's attention again and said, "Since this is Princess Luna's first Pinkie Party, and because the kids are all gone, it's time to break out the hard stuff!"

Everypony cheered, though none as loudly as Applejack or Rainbow Dash. Once the cheering died down, Pinkie once again started speaking, "Even if most ponies have been to my adult parties before, I still gotta tell the rules. Don't need the Town Guard coming in and breaking us all up, now do we?"

Looking around, Pinkie waited as murmurs of ascent went around the room before moving on. "I only have three rules when it comes to my super-fun-time adult parties!! Rule number one!" Pinkie said, "Is that you don't try and hurt somepony!! The last pony that did that... Well, let's just say he met Pinkamena. Rule Number two! Don't be a meanie pants and try and start fights. We're all here to PARTY!!! So that means you go and play Soul Calibur or Mortal Kombat if you wanna fight!! And Rule number three!!"

Pinkie paused here, to make sure that she had everyone's attention, before saying, "Have fun! I want to see smiles on those faces ponies! DJ, pump that shit!!!"

Vinyl, who had been behind Pinkie the whole time flashed a grin and her horn lit up in pale grey light (oddly enough, her magic was the same color as Octavia's fur. Apparently a strong enough emotion, like love, makes your magic change color. Go figure.) and the music started up once more.

Smiling with her work done, Pinkie made her way over to Twilight and Luna, bringing a couple of cocktails with her. She hoofed over the drinks and Twilight said, "Pinkie, I could hear the 'K' in Kombat. I'm pretty sure it's spelled with a 'C'."

Pinkie giggled and asked, "Are you seriously gonna be a grammar Nazi, Twilee? Cause it's a party!! None of this 'grr, imma check your spelling for accuracy' stuff! Have fun, let loose!"

After her statement, Pinkie bounced away to check on the other guests. Twilight's face met her hoof and Luna stood there wondering what in Tartaurus a Nazi was.

~,~,~,~

Several hours later, and several Cream Soda mixed drinks (Pinkie described them as nothing more than Ginger Ale and a cream flavored drink called Vodka. Luna found them irresistible.) later, Pinkie had to send Twilight and Luna back to the treehouse, even though the party was still in full swing.

"B-but Ah dun wanna...." Twilight complained through a drunken haze when told she needed to leave.

"Twilee, Twilee," Pinkie said clucking her tongue like a mother hen. She had consumed more than her fair share of the drinks that night as well, but she still seemed just as sober as when the party started. When asked, Pinkie usually looked around conspiratorially and said something about the cupcakes she always eats absorbing the majority of the booze, even if there were no cupcakes at the party. Others just attributed it to Pinkie being Pinkie and left it at that.

Continuing with her sentence, Pinkie said, "You gotta go home cause you're drunk."

"But!" Twilight began to protest before a pink hoof was shoved in her mouth.

"Go home Twilight," Pinkie said, "You're drunk."

With a huff and a hiccup, Twilight, who was leaning heavily on Luna, was lead back to her library by the lunar princess. They made it back to the treehouse without any incident, for which Luna was grateful. They went inside and Luna helped Twilight up the stairs and into her bed, with Luna collapsing shortly after Twilight.

~~~~

A few hours later, or maybe it was only a few minuets, Twilight couldn't be sure, the lavender mare woke with a start. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something wrong. She shrugged and laid her head back down to try and get back to sleep when she heard a crash and a quickly silenced yelp.

At the sound of the yelp, Luna also woke up, looking around blearily, some of her mane stuck to her face. She saw Twilight getting up, the alcohol not quite out of her system just yet, and stumbling towards the door, her horn alight with a minor stun spell. Luna heard another crash and a very familiar yell before Twilight bolted out of the room and down the stairs.

What Twilight saw stopped her blood cold. The library was trashed. Most books were still intact, but were tossed about the floor of the library as if a tornado had blown through. The front door was wide open and the window was shattered. Just outside of the front door was a pegasus, silhouetted in the moonlight, a slightly wriggling bag strapped to her back as she prepared to take off.

"Count Dracul sends his regards," the pony said as she tossed a letter onto the floor in front of Twilight and took off with a flap of her wings. Twilight recovered from her shock in time to make it to the door before a scream that would haunt her for the rest of her life echoed through the night.

Spike the dragon, his head poking out of the sack on the back of his pegasus captor screamed out, "Twilight! MOMMY! HELP!!"

The haze of alcohol still in her system prevented Twilight from saying anything more than some incoherent protests. Her magic flickered once, then died, as the pegasus turned and flew off into the night. Luna, who was a little better off in regards to the alcohol, came down the stairs a little too late to stop the pegasus, her form already a speck on the horizon. She looked over to Twilight who looked up at the retreating form of her surrogate son and began shaking.

Twilight's eyes became glazed over with the power she was channeling instinctively. Her body shook in rage and grief. Her coat turned white and her mane and tail were like fire. To anypony who was still about at that hour, they would have described Twilight as channeling the power of Celestia's sun itself. The ground at Twilight's hooves cracked under the power she was bringing to bear. And her rage flared like the sun.

Silhouette of a Life: Part 1

Silhouette of a Life

Luna stared as Twilight's power sent shockwaves through the ground at her hooves, cracking the earth like ceramic tiles under a massive impact. The Lunar Princess staggered backwards with each shockwave emanating from the lavender unicorn, scaring even the demi-goddess with the power she was putting out. Concern for her friend's plight soon turned to concern for Ponyville, as the shockwaves began shattering windows and waking the ponies who had already gone to sleep.

Luna began hearing something over the roar of the flames that were now Twilight's mane and tail. It almost sounded like something was calling her name and Luna flicked her ear in annoyance as she turned to try and evacuate the town when the sound of her name rang out, louder than before.

"Luna!" the voice said, "You have to put Twilight to sleep!"

"Who's there?" Luna asked, looking around, slightly unnerved.

The voice gave a huff and said, "No time to explain, Luna, because if you don't knock Twilight out, she's going to burn out her horn and cause magical backlash so severe, she'll turn Ponyville into a crater!"

"And how would you suggest I do that, oh mighty invisible voice?" Luna asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"A sleeping spell, duh," the voice said in return, "And I figured you'd recognize my voice by now, Luna. It's Serene!"

"Oh.." Luna said sheepishly, "I'll do that right away then." She turned back towards Twilight and began charging her horn to put the lavender mare to sleep. Twilight, who was still staring in the same direction that the pegasus had taken Spike in was howling her grief at the loss of her surrogate son and her first real friend before moving to Ponyville. Tears were flowing down her face, only to evaporate almost as soon as they left her eyes, because her fur was putting off such intense heat.

Luna let loose her spell after a moment and the azure magic took hold on the grieving mother. Twilight's howls came to a sudden end as the spell took hold, her mane, tail, and body returning to normal, even if she was smoking a bit and singed in places. Luna charged another spell and let loose a cooling breeze on Twilight, cooling her body down enough that she wouldn't accidentally catch the library or her bed on fire.

Luna levitated the unconscious unicorn before her and finally noticed the scared looks of the ponies who had gathered around the treehouse. Twilight's friends were at the fore of the gathered crowd, and they all followed Luna as she put Twilight into bed. When Luna came back down, she went outside, assured everypony that nothing was wrong and that they were all safe and to return home. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly as she processed what had happened, then turned to answer the questions she knew were surely going to arise.

~~~~

Twilight found herself sitting in the throne room of the dream castle when she opened her eyes. Sitting next to her, a very concerned look plastered on her face, was Serene. The dark alicorn looked down when she felt Twilight stir, then wrapped her forehooves around her host and began comfort her. Twilight, who was still in shock from what had happened returned the hug slowly, then began to weep openly.

"It's alright," Serene said, tears flowing down her own face, "I'm here for you, Twilight, and I promise I'll help you any way I can."

"T-they took Spike," Twilight sobbed, "Why did she do that?"

Serene looked down and asked, "She?"

"Yes," Twilight said with a sniffle, "I could tell by the shape of her body, she was a really large pegasus. Larger than the guards Luna and Celestia use in Canterlot."

Serene hugged Twilight close, then pulled away to look at Twilight closely. She brought herself to eye level with the lavender mare, then said, "I know a way to give you an edge."

"W-what do you mean?" Twilight asked, suddenly very aware that she was in her mind. With the being formerly known as Nightmare Moon. In a VERY compromising position.

"I'm in your head, remember?" Serene asked with a chuckle, "I know exactly what you are thinking at this moment. You want to bring back Spike, and be damned anyone or anything in your way."

"Yes," Twilight said in a low voice, her tears no longer flowing, "They took my Spike from me. I'd go through Tartaurus and beyond if I thought it would help bring my son home...."

"The Night's Blessing," Serene began, "It will allow you to survive most conditions that would normally kill you. But, the cost is terrible...."

"Whatever it takes," Twilight said with conviction, "I'll do it."

Serene suddenly moved in for a kiss, shocking Twilight out of her fuming. She looked up at Serene, confused at first, then realizing what was going on, closes her eyes and allows Serene to continue.

After a moment, Serene pulled back with a heavy blush and said, "I'm sorry.... But you need to have a clear head about this. It would not be a good idea to go through with this angry or upset. It would only get you killed, in the end, and I don't want that for you, Twilight."

Twilight put a hoof up to her lips, which were still tingling from the kiss, and asked, "How long?"

"A while now," Serene responded, "I'm not entirely sure when it started, though. It may have been the Summer Solstice...."

Twilight nodded, still a bit shell shocked. She shaked her head, as if chasing away buzzing mosquitoes, then nuzzled Serene and said, "It'll be alright... And I'd be willing to give us a try, if you can get a body."

Serene nodded happily and said, "I would be happy if you are happy, Twilight. But I appreciate the gesture."

Twilight sighed contentedly, then closed her eyes with a yawn. Serene stroked Twilight's mane with a smile, then, Twilight woke up.

~~~~

Luna sighed heavily. It had taken some doing, to be sure, but everypony in town was placated, for the moment. It had taken a lot more convincing for Twilight's friends, however, and they all seemed to want more of an explanation than Luna had the ability to give. Except for Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie had been the only one who was acting slightly out of character during Luna's interrogation by the other Elements of Harmony. She looked somber, her hair straight instead of it's usual bouncy curls and cotton candy look. She looked Luna in the eye when it came time for her to ask questions and said one thing only.

"Make sure you bring her back safely," said the pink party pony, then she turned and left without another word. Her friends were a little stunned that Pinkie was acting so peculiar, but chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie. Luna was a little curious as to what she had meant, though.

She pondered this as she went up stairs, Twilight's other friends having left a while ago, to check on the lavender mare. Only to find that Twilight was already awake and heading downstairs, a determined look in her eyes. Twilight walked up to Luna, then motioned towards the dining area with a jerk of her head.

"I am surprised you are awake right now, Twilight," Luna said, "I assumed you would be unconscious for a few days at least, especially after that little power show last night."

"I suppose having the spirit of an alicorn, even if she was originally part of you, Luna, has some benefits," Twilight said as she got herself a glass of water. She sat down and looked pensive for a while, her thoughts racing.

"Speak your mind, Twilight," Luna said softly, "You have been through a great deal this night, and you do not need to go through it alone."

"I know," Twilight said, fighting back tears, "I.... I miss him."

"Understandable," Luna said with a nod, "From what I heard last night, he is as a son to you. And losing a child is the worst thing a mother, regardless of true parentage, can ever go through."

"I want the Blessing," Twilight said, confidently, wiping her eyes with a foreleg.

Luna hesitated before speaking again, her thoughts beginning to race. It had been centuries since the last pony had wanted the blessing from the Lunar Princess. And the ones that were still alive and active in the world did not exactly want anything to do with Princess Luna anymore, due to the lingering resentment of Nightmare Moon.

"There will be no going back, Twilight," Luna said after a long while, "You will be subject to the same curse 'Tia and I are, as you may very well end up living for eternity. This is not something to take lightly, as I am sure you are aware."

"I know, Luna," Twilight said in a low voice, "But that pegasus took off in the direction of the dragon's homeland, Drakos. A normal pony won't be able to survive out there, mainly because the landscape is so hostile towards most life."

"That is true, Twilight," Luna said in surprise, "But how did you know this?"

"I have a pretty good memory," Twilight said with a sad chuckle, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I was researching dragons a while back, because I wanted to know more about them as a whole, so I could help Spike if he needed it. I came across a book detailing the countries of the world. The chapter it had on Drakos wasn't very long, but it did detail that a pony could die if they weren't properly prepared."

Luna sighed heavily. "It appears that you will not be dissuaded in this matter."

Twilight nodded slightly and took a drink of water, then asked, "Does it hurt?"

"The... sensations, for lack of better term," Luna began, "Are different for each individual undergoing the Blessing. Some who accepted it were wracked with unimaginable pain, while others had a look of such peace and serenity that it seemed that they had died and gone to the Elysian Fields."

"When would we have to do the blessing?" Twilight asked, taking another drink of water.

"Tomorrow night, at the apex of the full moon," Luna replied, "But I would prefer that we were someplace where there is not going to be much collateral damage. I would rather not have to explain to Celestia why your home was destroyed if we did it here."

Twilight thought for a moment, then said, "The Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest would work. It's not in the best of shape, but the tower where my friends and I released you should still be stable enough."

"Then that is where we shall go, Twilight," Luna said, "Now, I would suggest you rest yourself and prepare for the journey. I need to contact my sister and inform her of what has transpired."

~~~~`~

Luna left the Library shortly after Twilight went back up to bed, the lavender unicorn's decision weighing heavily on her mind. Luna knew it was ultimately the receiver's choice, and that Twilight would be one of the best possible candidates to receive the Blessing, but still, the whole situation left the azure alicorn feeling uncertain and wary.

Heaving a sigh, Luna sent her consciousness up into the aether that made up her night, preparing to both contact Celestia and make way for the rising sun. Sure enough, as soon as Luna's consciousness touched the aether, Celestia was right there with her, the solar diarch's presence a comfort through the sea of unrest that plagued Luna's mind. Almost immediately, however, Celestia voiced concern.

"What is wrong, Luna?" Celestia asked.

"Something has happened," Luna said. She launched into an explanation of the events of the few days she had been in Ponyville. She told of Twilight's dreams, but omitted the fact that the former Nightmare Moon was still very much alive and well. She told of the party Pinkie had thrown.

"...then, shortly after returning to the library, Spike the dragon was foalnapped by an unknown pegasus mare. Twilight was quite distraught. I feared she would have destroyed the town had I not put her to sleep," Luna finished, shuddering at the memory of the power the young unicorn could bring to bear if she put her mind to it.

Celestia stood, flabbergasted, for a moment before saying, "How bad was she?"

"If I didn't know any better, I would say she was attempting to channel the raw power of the sun, sister," Luna replied, "Whomever perpetrated this is in for one extremely rude awakening when Twilight catches them."

Celestia knew that Twilight was powerful and that rumors of that power alone were part of the reason why no-one and no-thing had attempted to try anything to hurt her or her friends. Of course, being the personal student of the Demi-goddess of the sun, who's power quite literally made it possible for life to exist on Yggdra, didn't hurt either. But this? Celestia was appalled and outraged that someone would involve a child like this.

"Sister, there is one more thing," Luna said hesitantly.

"What is it, Lulu?" Celestia asked, using her pet name for Luna. Which told Luna that she was extremely upset.

"Twilight has requested the Blessing," Luna replied, "She wants to track and capture the villain responsible herself."

Celestia's hoof rose up to smack her face hard enough that it would have shattered stone. Her right eye began to twitch in irritation as she raged around the aetherscape for a few moments before speaking again.

"Damn it!" Celestia cried, "I NEVER wanted her to share in Eternity's curse with us! After all she's done for me, for US, Lulu, all I wanted for her was a normal life. Or at least as normal as the Equestrian Archmage can get!"

"But you have not heard whether or not I am even going to allow her to recieve the blessing, sister," Luna said.

"Please, Lulu," Celestia said with a scoff, "Twilight noticed I was getting a bit pudgy a while back and she managed to convince me that I needed to diet and get more exercise with nothing more that a few words and an extremely well placed set of puppy dog eyes. She even managed to make me stop eating cake for a whole year! Me! And I absolutely LOVE cake!! I'd eat it for every meal if I could!"

"You are correct, sister," Luna said with a sigh, "I am going to give her the blessing. She will not be dissuaded for any reason save the safe return of Spike to her."

Celestia shook her head and heaved a sigh before saying, "I'll send over a couple of flasks for her. I think she is making an incredibly rash decision, but I will support her any way I can. And I'm sure her friends will as well."

"Thank you, Celly," Luna said with a small smile, "I am sure Twilight will appreciate the gesture."

"I just hope that Twilight knows what she's getting into," Celestia said, "There is going to be quite a lot of pain for her down this road."

Celestia looked down at her hooves, then asked, "What do you plan on doing after she has the Blessing?"

Luna looked thoughtful, then smiled as inspiration struck, "The Moon Wolves in the Whitetail Wood should be able to help Twilight train for her quest. There are some things that I will not be able to teach her because Nightmare Moon was the receiver of my blessing, and not me. The Wolves should be able to teach Twilight the finer points of hunting and how to control her strength."

Celestia nodded in agreement and said, "Very well. That would most likely be the best course of action anyway, considering the purging of Nightmare Moon took most of the Blessing she had with her."

Celestia's gaze suddenly became harsh and unforgiving, making Luna very uncomfortable keeping eye contact, but she couldn't look away. When Celestia spoke, it sent shivers down Luna's spine.

"Take care of her, Luna," Celestia said, "For a long time she was the only bright spot in my immortal life. And then she and her friends gave you back to me, and that is something that I will never be able to repay. Please.... Take care of her."

"I promise, she will live through this, Celly," Luna said solemnly.

The sisters stopped conversing right then, feeling their charges pull on their consciousnesses. Luna moved Nox, the night sky, to make way for Lux, the day. Celestia nodded in satisfaction as the transition was made, then nuzzled Luna affectionately before leaving the aether, presumably to send a letter to Twilight with the flasks. Luna waited a moment longer before leaving herself, and returning to the library, where Twilight waited.

Silhouette of a life: Part 2

Luna's flight back to the library was uneventful and relaxing. she noticed Twilight awake and packing supplies and angled herself towards the balcony of the bedroom. Twilight noticed Luna's approach and opened the large window on her balcony so she could land.

"Twilight," Luna said, "You are up early."

"Yup," Twilight said simply as she continued searching for things she felt they would need. Luna looked into the saddlebags Twilight had out and saw that she had packed a large tent, some sleeping bags, a couple days worth in food and some canteens for water as well as a first aid kit.

"Do you believe we will be needing all of this?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Twilight said, "We're going into the Everfree Forest. And there are all kinds of things in there that are dangerous to ponies. I've even packed the antidote for Poison Joke, just in case we run across some and step into it by accident."

"You are.... very thorough, aren't you?" Luna asked.

"I have to be," Twilight said simply, "I can't let anything happen to me before I rescue Spike."

Luna nodded. There was a knock from downstairs and the sound of a door opening and closing. Twilight was distracted, but Luna went to check anyway, leaving the lavender mare to her thoughts and her packing. When Luna reached the downstairs area of the library, she was a little surprised to see the rest of Twilight's friends waiting patiently for Twilight to come down.

"To what does Twilight owe the surprise visit, ladies?" Luna asked curiously.

Pinkie Pie, still unusually somber and apparently even more so after last night was the first to speak up, saying, "We're here to give Twilight some support."

"Yes, dear Pinkie has the gist of things," Rarity said, "We cannot be there for her in the flesh, due to our own obligations, my sister Sweetie Belle in my case, but we all knew that there was something we could give her that would show our support."

Twilight came trotting down the stairs saying, "Alright, Luna, I'm all packed up we can- Oh! Girls, what are you doing here?"

Applejack walked up to Twilight, gave her a hug, and said, "We're here to give y'all somethings to help you out, sugarcube."

Twilight looked a little surprised and asked, "Why?"

Pinkie spoke up again, "Because we want to help. But we can't be there. We have things we need to take care of here in Ponyville."

The others nodded in agreement and began to gather their gifts. Pinkie was the first one to offer her gift, which was a pouch of about a dozen colorful egg shaped containers.

"Eggs?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie shook her head and replied, "They're kinda explosive."

Twilight twitched and almost dropped the one she was holding aloft in her magic and Pinkie chuckled saying, "Don't worry silly filly, they won't kill anypony. But they're really good for a distraction, cause they pop out enough supplies for a party! I even made it so they set up on their own! And there's a HUGE puff of bright pink smoke that pops out too!"

Twilight sighed in relief and gave Pinkie a hug, "Thank you, Pinkie. I'll put them to good use."

Applejack was next, bringing what looked like a length of rope. When Twilight took it from her friend, she could feel something pulsing from the length for a moment, then noticed a blade at one end of it.

"It's an enchanted whip," Applejack said in way of explanation, "Granny Smith says it's been in our family for generations. And something about hunting the undead or some such nonsense, y'all know how Granny gets when she's got somthin' on her mind."

"It is incredibly powerful," Luna remarked as she examined the whip, "Likely a relic of ages past when true necromancy was rampant among those that sought to harm others. This is indeed a great gift, Honest Applejack."

"Thank you, AJ," Twilight said, giving her a hug like she did Pinkie.

Next up was Fluttershy, who, surprisingly, brought forward what looked like leather armor. She set the armor on the ground and said, "It's manticore leather."

"Fluttershy.... " Twilight asked hesitantly, "Where did you get this?"

"Oh.... U-um, do you remember that manticore Nightmare Moon put that thorn in?" Fluttershy asked, retreating behind her mane.

"Yes," Twilight nodded, "I thought you were friends with him?"

"I-I was..." Fluttershy said quietly, "He passed away about a month ago..... I was there when he....." She hesitated before continuing, "He wanted me to take his hide, in return for the kindness I showed him... I.... I couldn't s-skin him myself.... It was too hard for me to do it, so I asked around and found a gryphon armor smith to make it for me. He even made a dagger out of his tail."

Fluttershy brought the dagger forward and set it on the armor and Twilight asked, "Why did you have this made?"

"U-um..... I figured it would be good to have around....." Fluttershy said quietly, "Because of all the trouble we tend to get into...."

"A wise decision, Kind Fluttershy," Luna said soothingly, "And I am sure that your manticore friend would be happy with the decision as well."

"R-really?" Fluttershy asked.

"I knew a manticore before my descent into darkness," Luna said, "He may have been wild, but he always went out of his way to protect creatures weaker than himself."

Twilight knew that Fluttershy had gone through a lot to give this gift to her. She also knew that Manticore hide was impervious to just about everything, save for dragonfire and the chill brought on by a wendigo. The dagger was just as useful. Manticore stingers, even after death, continued to produce an incredibly potent paralyzing agent, from what Twilight read about them. It was never enough to outright kill anypony, but more than enough to incapacitate even a full grown dragon if the situation ever arose. And, with the stinger AND venom sac still intact, the dagger would be invaluable in her quest in the off chance that something should happen.

"Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight said, giving the shy pegasus a warm hug, "I know how much Mr. Mew meant to you."

Fluttershy nodded wordlessly and made way for Rarity to step forward. She brought out a cloak. It was a simple royal purple color. No flashy gems or other frivolities adorned it, which was surprising, considering it was Rarity presenting the gift.

"What?" Rarity asked under Twilight's curious gaze, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's a lovely cloak, but...." Twilight trailed off.

"It is not like what I would usually make, am I right darling?" Rarity asked.

"Well, yeah," Twilight said, rubbing her foreleg, "It's so simple, really."

"Then I suggest you apply some magic to it and see what happens," Rarity said with a mischievous wink.

Twilight did so and was surprised to find that her magic couldn't seem to find any kind of hold over the cloth. Having a sudden idea, the lavender unicorn tried firing a force bolt at the cloth, only to have it rebound back at Twilight. She ducked at the last second and turned around to find that there was a sizable scorch mark in the wall. Luckily, no books were hurt during the backfire of the spell.

"It's called dragon-silk," Rarity explained, "Most magic won't affect it and it's completely fireproof."

Twilight's eyes went wide. Rarity answered before Twilight could ask her question saying,"I am quite sure you remember Spike's little.... accident on his birthday. As it turns out, during the clean up, he managed to find a rather large amount of his scales that had been shed during his rampage. It was tedious to clean up, but it was worth it in the end, because he was planning on making a tuxedo for himself, but lacked the knowledge to do so. So, he came to me, and I made the tux for him. It was the same one he was wearing during Your brother's wedding, if I remember correctly. Though I cannot tell you how difficult it was to get the scales to dye black....."

"Thank you Rarity," Twilight said, unable to say anymore than that. The thought that Spike had a part in making her cloak was almost enough to make her tear up. Rarity nodded and made way for Rainbow Dash, who was off to the side, looking a bit flustered.

"I, uh," Dash started, "I'm no good with words, egghead, so I'll just give you this."

She brought a short sword forward and placed it with Twilight's other gifts and said, "I had this made a while back. Like just after I got my cutie mark. My uncle worked at a factory that makes sky steel armor and weapons for the Royal Guard and he told me I could have anything, so I asked for this baby."

Rainbow Dash looked at the blade fondly and continued, "My uncle even managed to get my Cutie mark engraved on the cross guard and an old pegasi saying engraved on the length of the blade."

Sure enough, when Twilight pulled the blade out of its scabbard, it read, "Mediocris ventus quod videlicet caeli."

"Fair winds and clear skies," Luna translated over Twilight's shoulder, "It was meant to wish somepony well on a journey. And you said it is made from sky steel?"

"Yup!" Dash said proudly, "A hundred percent pure sky steel, guaranteed to never rust, chip, break, or go dull."

"A very useful gift, and one we may have need of," Luna said.

"Thank you Dash," Twilight said, giving her a hug as well, "Thank you all so much for these. I'm sure they'll help out in saving Spike."

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity said, waving a hoof, "We're just sorry that we cannot make the journey with you."

The others said something similar before having to excuse themselves. They all had lives that they needed to return to, which Twilight understood. She didn't blame them in the slightest. Applejack had a harvest to take care of, Fluttershy had her animals, Rarity had clients to worry about, Pinkie needed to watch the twins while the Cakes were away, and Rainbow Dash had her responsibilities as weather manager to deal with.

Still, Twilight couldn't help but wish that her friends were coming along. It would help keep her thoughts away from depressing subjects. For now, though, Twilight and Luna set off for the Everfree Forest. Packing her friends gifts in her saddle bags, she turned to Luna when she noticed a small flash of light from the dining room table.

"Celestia has given you her support," Luna said in way of explanation, "These are flasks, similar to the ones I myself use. But, only one is full at the moment."

"How do I fill them?" Twilight asked, examining the flasks.

"Simply show the flask to any hospital nurse. They will know to fill the flask and support you," Luna said.

"I need to remember to thank Celestia when we get back," Twilight said.

Luna nodded and asked, "Are you finished packing?"

"Yes," Twilight replied as she gathered the gifts from her friends, "Just need to grab my saddle bags and we can go."

~~~~~~

The trip through the forest was uneventful and rather boring. Luna and Twilight didn't speak much to each other. Luna because she wasn't sure what to say and Twilight because she was nervous about the upcoming Blessing. What seemed like hours later, the pair found themselves at the bridge leading into the Castle of the Pony Sisters.

Walking carefully across the bridge, Twilight and Luna entered the castle and made their way to the Lunar wing. The trip through the castle was a little bit more eventful than the one through the forest, considering that the castle was falling apart around them. But, they made it to Luna's throne room without so much as a scratch.

"I'll start setting up camp, then," Twilight said.

"Of course, Twilight," Luna responded. She looked up towards the sky and saw that it was nearly sunset. She readied herself to raise the moon and sent her consciousness into the aether. There was no conversation with Celestia this night. Just a sisterly hug, one more promise to ensure Twilight's safety, and the exchange of the day for the night.

Bringing herself back to the material realm, Luna found that Twilight had already pitched a tent and gathered enough wood for a small fire. Steeling herself and looking into the night sky, Luna stood up and stretched, some of her joints popping.

"What now, Luna?" Twilight asked.

"For now, Twilight," Luna replied, "We start a fire. And you rest. You are going to need it for the Blessing."

Nodding, Twilight retired to her tent. Luna set up a fire and busied herself with it while the full moon reached its apex.

~~~~`~

At about midnight, Twilight found herself being gently shaken awake by Luna.

"It is time, Twilight," Luna said simply, "We must make our way to the antechamber."

Groggily, Twilight nodded. She rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes and followed Luna down a hallway on the side of the throne room that she hadn't noticed earlier. At the end of the hallway was a large, Gothic looking doorway. Engraved on the door was a pair of thestrals holding a full moon between them. Luna pushed the door open with her magic and the mural split in two down the middle to allow the unicorn and princess into the room beyond.

Twilight was stunned at the sight before her. Inside the antechamber was a number of statues, all of various vampires who had served Luna before her banishment. Twilight looked at the statues and noticed that there were more than ponies depicted there.

"I didn't know that other species could become vampires," Twilight said.

Luna glanced around the chamber as they walked to the other end and said, "In the past, it was not uncommon for members of all races to request this blessing. I have had everypony from gryphons to dragons come to me."

They reached the end of the hallway when Luna stopped and looked at one statue in particular. Or rather, what was left of it.

"Who was this?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I have forgotten his name," Luna said, her tone becoming icy, "On purpose, I might add. This.... thing became closer to me than I would have thought possible, closer even than Celestia. Then, he betrayed me. He betrayed Equestria, the country he had sworn to protect. He was cunning, vicious, and perhaps most dangerous of all, he was charismatic in a way I had not seen in any other being to recieve my blessing."

Twilight recoiled slightly from Luna. Mostly because of her tone, which was angry and hurt in a way that Twilight couldn't understand. Luna lapsed into silence as she turned to the rather plain door in front of them and opened it into a large round chamber.

The chamber itself was slightly bowel shaped and very plain looking compared to the room they had exited just now. There were a series of thirteen pillars set at a regular interval along the edged of the room, each depicting a different phase of the moon. Luna led Twilight to the center of the room and stood, bidding Twilight to do the same.

"H-how is this going to work?" Twilight asked, a tinge of fear hitting her voice.

"It is fairly simple," Luna said, "The spell circle here will channel the magic I put into it while simultaneously directing it into you. As I have said before, the experience is different for each individual undergoing the blessing, so you could feel anything from a slight tingling sensation to the worst pain imaginable."

Twilight, at a loss for words, simply nodded. Luna took this as a sign that she was ready and said, "Twilight, there is one more thing I must say before we begin."

"What is it, Luna?" Twilight asked.

"I am sorry," Luna said solemnly.

Twilight didn't have any time to react before Luna retrieved a dagger from somewhere and sliced open a neat cut on her own foreleg. Luna immediately began chanting as the blood dripped from her leg and onto the spell circle she had indicated shortly before. The circle itself began glowing a dull red as the blood began flowing through it, completing pathways that had long been dormant.

Twilight began to feel a pleasant tingling sensation as the spell continued on. She had been mentally bracing herself for pain, so this was a very nice surprise. Ignorant to what Twilight was feeling however, Luna continued on with the spell, her chanting growing ever louder. A fell wind began whipping through the chamber, making Luna and Twilight's manes and tails billow around them.

The sensations Twilight was feeling had developed into full blown orgasmic pleasure by this point. The lavender mare had let out a series of moans that would have made Honey Dip proud. And Again, Luna continued with the spell, unaware of what Twilight was going through.

Ages later, or what seemed like it to Twilight, Luna's chanting hit an apex. Twilight screamed as her body shook in pleasure. She held her mouth open in a soundless scream after her breath ran out, her body quaking in exhaustion, pleasure, and power. After what seemed another age to Twilight, she collapsed into a puddle of her own juices. Luna rushed forward with her flask and tipped it into Twilight's mouth. She drank greedily as if she'd not had water for weeks.

Eventually, Twilight was sated and fast asleep. The sun rose outside as Luna carried Twilight back to their camp site. She cleaned Twilight off as best as she could and set her down under her cloak. Luna, who was too tired to do much else, took a drink from her own flask and lay down next to Twilight, the morning sun rising over head.

Spike's Interlude

Interlude -1- Spike's Resolution

Spike knew quite a lot of information about the world. He knew that the world was round and the sky was hollow, that the Everfree Forest was really only dangerous during the Zap Apple harvest, due to the Timberwolves appearing. He knew that most dragons were massive jerks. He also knew that phoenix chicks were a lot of responsibility, but they were well worth the effort.

What he did not know at this moment was why this large mare was taking him away from his home in Ponyville. He had tried struggling against her but ended up with a lump on his head for his trouble; so he had fallen back on his old stand by for emergencies. He began trying to take in as much information as possible. Unfortunately, all he could see was the blur of landscape speeding by faster than he could take in. It seemed his captor was just as fast as Rainbow Dash, if not faster!

They flew on in silence for a while longer before Spike noticed that they were starting to descend. He tried to hold on, but couldn't due to the ropes holding his arms in place. He almost fell off his captor's back, but the large mare caught him with her forehooves before he fell off all the way though. They set down in the middle of a clearing; there was a small, cozy looking hut in the middle of the clearing that Spike hadn't noticed from the air.

Spike found himself being pushed hard in the direction of the hut. He turned and said indignantly, "I can walk just fine, you know!"

"Then get in the hut." The imposing mare said in a surprisingly soft voice.

Spike huffed and walked into the hut. The mare walked in behind him and pointed to a corner with her hoof. Spike walked over to it and the mare chained him to a large metal post, then reached for a gemstone from a nearby shelf. She told Spike to open his mouth, when he did, she put it in, then watched as he ate the gemstone. Knowing he couldn't get out of his bonds without some sort of plan, Spike simply did as instructed and chewed up the gemstone and swallowed. He immediately felt full and incredibly sleepy.

What seemed like ages later for Spike, he woke up in the air once more, the hut in the forest long since left behind. He tried to move around some, to get comfortable, but was still groggy.

"For what it's worth," the mare carrying him said, "I am sorry for this. I am just following orders."

Spike responded slowly, due to the odd gemstone still in his system, "Even a private in the Royal guard can disobey orders if they feel like it goes against their oath."

The mare fell silent for a moment before saying, "I am in debt to my lord, Count Dracul. I cannot disobey him until that debt is paid."

"What about small rebellions?"

"My name is Shattered Epitaph," the mare responded, ignoring the dragon's question entirely. The rest of the flight lapsed into silence. Eventually, Spike begins to feel more awake as they make their way to another hut, this time situated on the side of a mountain. Epitaph angled herself carefully towards the hut, making sure to keep Spike situated on her back.

Before they walked into the hut, Epitaph pulled out another gemstone and was about to feed it to Spike.

"What is that?" Spike asked curiously.

Epitaph hesitated before saying, "It is called Lapis Lazuli. It prevents a dragon from using his or her flame for a day. It also fills a dragon up faster than other gems and induces sleep."

Before Spike could respond, Epitaph popped the gem into his mouth. Spike shot Epitaph a withering glare. The large mare simply shrugged and carried the suddenly extremely tired dragon into the hut. Epitaph then left the sleeping dragon to his dreams and went to a nearby stream to wash herself off.

~~~~`~

The next morning, Epitaph woke early. She made sure that Spike was still asleep before grabbing a nearby hand mirror and stepping out in to the early morning twilight. She pressed a hoof to the mirror and watched as it connected to a mirror in Dracul's castle.

"My lord," Epitaph said, "I am reporting in."

"Congratulations, Epitaph," came the voice of Count Dracul from the mirror, "you have done well. Your reward shall be here when you arrive."

"Thank you m'lord," Epitaph said with reverence.

"I would advise haste, however," Dracul said, "Our target may already be on the move, if all has gone as planned thus far."

"I understand," Epitaph said, "We should be at the castle before the moon sets."

Dracul nodded, then the mirror went dark. Epitaph returned to the hut with the mirror held under her wing. When Epitaph walked in, she noticed Spike was still asleep, and decided to make something for breakfast. Eventually, the sound and smell of cooking food brought Spike to the land of the waking and made his stomach growl. Epitaph trotted carefully out of the small cooking area with her wings extended. On one was a bowl of turquoise and a vegetable omelette on the other. She offered the bowl to Spike.

"We shall be at our destination by the end of tonight," Epitaph said as she ate her food, "Lord Dracul is interested in meeting you."

"Why would he want to meet me?" Spike asked curiously, "Not like I'm important or anything."

"Quite the contrary, to be honest," Epitaph replied, "You are more important than you realize."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked curiously.

"I am afraid that I cannot answer that," Epitaph said stoically, "I was not made privy to the full extent of Lord Dracul's plan."

"Oh..." Spike said slowly, "Guess that makes sense. The less somepony knows the less likely they'll blab about it, right?"

"That... is a succinct explanation," Epitaph said.

Spike asked a few more questions of Epitaph, but got little in the way of answers. The large pegasus either didn't know about what Spike was asking, or didn't want to say anything. Not for lack of trying on Spike's part, though. He figured that if he could get some information, then when he could use his fire breath again, he could tell Princess Celestia more of what was going on so any rescue party she sent wouldn't be walking into a trap.

"We must go." Epitaph said as she put her plate away. She grabbed Spike's mostly empty bowl and swapped it with a Lapis Lazuli, looking at Spike expectantly. Heaving a sigh, Spike chomped the brittle gemstone in his teeth and immediately felt exhausted.

Epitaph untied Spike from the pole and hefted him onto her back, sighing softly herself. She walked out of the hut and prepared herself to take flight. It was quiet, as usual, but Epitaph's ears were ringing loudly and her heart was heavy. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the pegasus continued her flight through the rest of the day, her thoughts unusually quiet.

~~~~~~

By the time Epitaph and Spike reached the entrance to Count Dracul's castle, the moon was rising and Spike was awake. Still couldn't use his flame, but aware enough that he was talking quietly.

"You don't have to do this, y'know," Spike said.

"And you do not understand my situation," Epitaph countered, "I owe Lord Dracul more than I will ever be able to repay."

"You said that before," Spike huffed, "But this doesn't sit right with you, I can tell."

"How? I am no open book for anyone to read at their leisure." Epitaph said, irritated.

"My mother can get a little... crazy at times," Spike said, "I've kinda learned to spot things in a pony before they reach a breaking point."

"I see," Epitaph said as she came in for a landing. She folded her wings up and trotted to the entrance, then sat Spike down in front of it and waited. They didn't have to wait long before the portcullis slid up and the gate slid down.

Spike watched as a dragon walked out from the shadow of the entryway. The dragon was about the size of Princess Luna and a similar color as well. He, definitely he, seemed to radiate something that demanded respect from everypony around him.

"Epitaph, remain with us for a while." he said, "I will require one more small thing from you before your reward becomes available to you."

"Yes, Lord Dracul," Epitaph said with a slight bow.

"You're Count Dracul?" Spike asked curiously, "I kinda figured you'd be taller."

Dracul turned to Spike with a slight smile and said, "Would you believe that you are not the first being to say something along those lines?"

Turning around and walking back into the castle, Dracul twitched his tail, which prompted Epitaph to pick Spike back up and follow her lord at a respectful distance. The azure dragon in front of Spike began to explain a few things.

"I assume you are wondering why you are here," Dracul said, "To answer that question, I am using you as bait."

"Bait?" Spike echoed, "Who for?"

"That is not your concern." Dracul said smugly, "But rest assured my quarry will be here before Hearth's Warming Eve."

"That's one heck of a gift to yourself," Spike said.

Dracul turned and looked at Spike with a curious expression and said, "Indeed. Now, I believe you have a few things to say, correct?"

"Yeah," Spike said, drawing himself up as best he could, "My mom's gonna kick your tail from here to the moon and back if you don't let me go right now."

"Oh really?" Dracul laughed, "And who, pray tell, is your mother, young one?"

"Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic and personal student to Princess Celestia herself," Spike said proudly.

Dracul chuckled and said, "Your mother may come, yet, I am not afraid of her. Despite all her power, she will do nothing more than annoy me. I would not take your mother form you, however. My fight is not with her unless she attempts to intrude on my business. If your mother is indeed on her way, then you may leave with her as soon as she arrives, if you wish."

Spike opened his mouth to say something, but closed his mouth instead, being unable to think of a retort. He tried to find his voice again and asked, "Why did you even take me then? What's the point?"

"Ah, now that, is a good question," Dracul said, "Do not worry, all will be revealed in good time, young one."

Dracul looked at Epitaph and said, "Please escort our... guest to his room. Then you may get your reward in the usual place."

"Yes, m'lord," the pegasus responded and began to walk in the opposite direction Dracul was going.

"Oh, and Spike," Dracul said as he turned around, "Feel free to peruse the selection of books in your room."

~~~~~~`~

Spike laid himself down on the bed in his room and snacked on the bowl of gemstones that was in there when he arrived. A book lay propped open on the pillow in front of him. He had tried reading for a while, but found that most of the books were kinda boring to him. He heaved a sigh and brushed a thin white power from his claws, probably crushed Lapis Lazuli he guessed, and walked over to the lone window.

The view was spectacular, if Spike was honest. The castle was built into the side of a mountain, similar to Canterlot. But, instead of the rolling hills, farmland, and the Everfree Forest in the distance, all Spike could see was mountains. Occasionally, far off in the distance, he could see an open plain, but nothing more.

Epitaph had left as soon as Spike had gotten into the room. The young dragon wondered what her reward was. He wondered if she thought it was worth everything she had done. He thought and thought and thought some more. Then, he fell asleep.

Seven Days to the Wolves -part 1-

~Seven Days to the Wolves~

Twilight woke up feeling half starved. Looking around, she saw that the sun was setting, which alarmed her slightly as it had been the dead of night when the ritual had begun. Suddenly hearing her stomach growl like a predator, Twilight realized that her shock at having slept for an indeterminate amount of time would have to wait. She levitated her saddlebag over to her from where it was by the entrance of the room she was in, which upon closer inspection was the same room that Twilight and Luna had stopped to admire the statues.

Pulling out an apple, Twilight bit into it with a ravenous hunger. She wasn't quite satisfied, however, so she dug around in her saddlebags a bit more and felt the cool metal of her flask. Twilight pulled it out and looked at the relatively plain container, slightly unnerved that she was about to drink the blood of another sentient being. Making a disgusted face, she uncorked the flask and brought it up to her eye level.

"Well... Over the lips and past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes!" Twilight said as she took a quick swig of the crimson elixir. Twilight was utterly surprised by the flavor that assaulted her taste buds. It still had the slightly coppery taste blood usually has (which Twilight only knew about because she got a paper cut at one point and sucked on the wound to keep from bleeding all over the place) but there was an incredibly sweet aftertaste, with a bite to it similar to alcohol. And zap apples. Feeling her hunger satisfied for the moment, Twilight took a second quaff of her flask, then re-stoppered it and put it back into her bag.

"How are you feeling, Twilight?" somepony asked from behind the newly made vampire.

Twilight turned around and saw Luna approaching from another room she hadn't seen during their first walk-through. Luna sat down and un-stoppered her own flask, taking a quick drink before looking at Twilight's new form appreciatively.

"What?" Twilight asked, misinterpreting Luna's stare for a more critical look over, "Is something on my face?"

"Perhaps you should take a look for yourself," Luna said with a wry smile as she conjured a full body mirror for the unicorn to use.

Looking at her reflection curiously, Twilight inhaled sharply when she saw the extent of the change the blessing had wrought. Her body had become more sleek and feral looking. Toned by the look and feel things as well, for which Twilight was grateful as she didn't really do much more than lift the groceries in her magic and run around with the girls. Her pupils had changed to cat like slits, which gave her an air of being more ferocious than she really was. Her sclera, the normally white part of her eyes, were now a pale shade of purple.

"Wow..." Twilight said with awe, "That... that's me?"

"Looks like it, Twilight," Serene said with a smirk, "And I must say... you look absolutely stunning."

Twilight blushed at the disembodied alicorn's compliment and tried to hide herself while Serene chuckled.

Changing the subject, Luna said, "We will be leaving come nightfall."

"Where are we going?" Twilight asked.

"To the Whitetail Wood," Luna answered, "there is a tribe of wolves that would be able to train you in combat."

"W-wolves?" Twilight asked in a small voice, "Why w-wolves?"

"Because neither Luna nor I can train you," Serene responded, "Luna because she doesn't have all the abilities you now posses and I because of my feelings for you."

Twilight sighed heavily and said, "I understand... but that doesn't mean I have to like it!!!"

~~~~~~~~`~

A week. Granted, Twilight knew that it was going to take a long while to get to Spike, but it was still grinding on her nerves. More than once she had considered just going after the Pegasus that had kidnapped the dragonling she called her son, but each time Serene would stop her. But still, a week to get to the Whitetail Wood was longer than Twilight had thought it would take considering the wood was relatively close to Ponyville.

"Twilight, I advise that you allow me to do the talking," Luna said, stopping for a moment.

"Why?" Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Because Hanhepi Wi Sumanitu Taka are not exactly a social tribe," Luna explained.

A sudden bark of laughter from the woods to their right made Twilight tense up while Luna merely looked on and gave a small smile. From the woods came a large white wolf with two slightly smaller wolves flanking him on either side. On the left was a light grey female, her eyes an incredible shade of sapphire blue. On the right was an oddly colored male, his fur an almost hilariously familiar shade of purple. His eyes were what set him apart though, because they were both a different color. One was a dark yellow, while the other was a shade of green Twilight had never seen before.

The larger wolf approached Luna. For a moment, he stood high and proud, Luna doing the same for a moment before the wolf bowed low and said, "Lady of the Moon, you honor us with your presence."

Luna nodded and replied, "It has been quite some time since I last visited your tribe, Chief Howling Wind. I wish to amend that oversight, if you would be so inclined."

"Of course," Howling Wind said joyfully, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight filtering from the trees, "Your protege and her spirit are welcome as well, should they deign to join us."

That last line caught Twilight off guard as she said, "You can see Serene?"

The male to Howling Wind's right said in a surprisingly soft voice, "Nay good mare, we of the Moon can sense the spirits of those who walked the world as we do. Cloaked in the Moonlight that aids our hunts, the spirit you know as Serene is as plain to us as the doe in the next glade over and the hare just behind your rear left leg."

Looking around, sure enough, Twilight could smell the doe. She was with child from the scent of things as well. And, turning to look back, there was the hare, right where the male said it would be. Turning her gaze back to the male, Twilight saw his faint smile and the gleam of mischief that she saw only too often in Pinkie Pie's eyes whenever the eccentric mare was around.

"Twilight Sparkle," the grey female on the left said, "His name is Purple Heart, and he is ever the joker. My name is Lacuna."

"And she is ever the stick in the mud," Purple Heart laughed, "But her heart is always in the right place."

Howling Wind laughed and said, "Come, you both must be tired after your journey. Eat and be merry with us for a while, and perhaps we can speak about the reason you are here after."

Bah!

Right, so I've got about 2000 words of the next chapter written out and I've hit a dead end with where I want to go. So, for anyone who's interested in this story still, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to put Twilit Nightfall on hiatus for the time being... Not like it actually matters because that's about all I've been doing at the moment anyway, so, not much is going to change. I figured everyone who's followed/faved this story deserved to know what was going on.

Now, before any flames erupt, I do plan on finishing this story. I'm just having a bit of trouble with how I want Twilight to get to the final boss, so to speak. As it stands, I have the beginning all sorted out now (thanks to an earlier re-write) and the end of the story already fleshed out, but the middle bits are giving me a hell of a time. I appreciate the patience you all have been giving me thus far and I hope to reward it sometime very soon, but it all depends on whether or not I can get the story sorted out properly once more so I can continue.

Once again, I'm sorry about the false chapter. I really don't like to do stuff like this, but I doubt anyone would read a blog post on it unless I put up a fake chapter with a link to it.

Conversations in the Dark

Chapter 3

Conversations in the Dark

Luna took a deep breath and continued to examine her surroundings. If she was completely honest with herself, this was an extremely familiar castle. She couldn't quite place her hoof on WHY it was so familiar, though...

Shaking her head slightly, Luna lapsed into thought on her reasons for coming in person. If Twilight had thought it strange that Luna had come personally, she didn't show it, which Luna was grateful for. It meant that there was less awkward questions to be answered in the long run.

Luna thought back to when she had first returned to Yggdra on that fateful night what seemed like an eternity ago. She had noticed that ponies had changed dramatically in the millennium she had been gone, but the one thing that had caught her interest the most was the number of same gendered couples at the party. Apparently, her own preferences had become more acceptable, which made Luna smile all the more. Granted, the occasional rutting every now and again was divine, but for Luna, nothing could beat the gentle caress of a loving mare, twining their bodies together as the sun rose over the new day.

Luna's thoughts turned towards the lavender mare who's dreams she was currently walking through and blushed slightly. The night she had returned, Nightmare Moon had allowed Luna a glimpse at her would be saviors. They were all rather attractive, Luna's shadowy doppelganger even said that she would.... 'reward' the six mares by making them the first in her new harem which irritated Luna. But the purple unicorn leading the group courageously had caught Luna's eye. The courage she had shown while facing Nightmare Moon alone had made even the dark alicorn pause, if only for a moment.

So, with the reason for Luna's personal intervention finally revealed to herself, the princess of the night finally reached the door to the throne room with a slight blush. Composing herself for whatever may lie behind the door, Luna pushed the door open with a slight pulse of silvery magic. She strode in confidently, until the mist that Twilight spoke of swirled around her once before moving up to the throne proper and coalescing into the form of Nightmare Moon.

"Luna," the dark alicorn said, her tone neither friendly nor hostile, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You are possessing Twilight Sparkle, I wish to know why," Luna said to her darker half.

"Considering the time we spent together, I'd have assumed that to be obvious by now," Nightmare Moon said, "I am still trying to take over Equestria!!" As she said this, the dark alicorn stood on her hind legs and raised a foreleg in a triumphant pose as a bolt of lightning struck somewhere outside of the castle, throwing the throne room into sharp relief.

Luna growled defiantly and took up a defensive posture, waiting for Nightmare Moon to strike..... Instead, what she heard was... surprising, to say the least. It was laughter. Not the maniacal kind that Luna's dark counterpart was known for, but true, joyful laughter. Shaken, Luna plopped her flank on the ground and looked at Nightmare Moon curiously.

"I... I'm sorry, Lulu," Nightmare said in between gasps, "But the look on your face! Priceless!!"

Composing herself, Luna said icily, "I fail to find the humor in the situation, Mare in the Moon. Pray thee, tell what hast crawled up thy flank and expired."

Nightmare Moon slowly calmed down enough to speak normally and said with a chuckle, "Two things. First, you're falling back into archaic speech patterns. Second, it was a joke. You do happen to be a reasonably talented prankster, so I figured you could take it like the grown mare you are."

Luna blinked in surprise. This whole situation was becoming more and more confusing by the second. Nightmare smiled kindly, a wholly crazy thing, considering the mare in front of her attempted to subvert the crown and plunge the world into eternal night.

"Come, walk with me, Luna," Nightmare said, beckoning with a wing tip, "I promise you'll have your answers. I won't even bite, either."

Nodding numbly, Luna followed her doppelganger as she walked towards a door, hidden off to the side of the throne. The door opened up into a long hallway, with beautiful windows depicting most of Twilight's life.

"I found this place shortly after I latched onto Twilight," Nightmare started, "Each mural depicts each and every one of Twilight's memories, from the day her mind could keep such information, clear up until the conversation you two had, barely a few hours ago. That answers that question for you, I believe, but I know that you have many more, so fire away, Princess."

Luna's head snapped to Nightmare Moon as she said 'Princess' but there wasn't even a hint of sarcasm or loathing in the word. Letting the slight drop, for now, Luna pondered her first Question.

"Why are you here?" Luna asked after a moments contemplation.

"An easy enough answer," Nightmare said with a smirk, "I was originally here to try and make Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful mage of this generation, the personal student of Celestia, and the Wielder of the Element of Magic, my own personal slave."

"You say that as if your plans have changed," Luna accused.

"Always were rather quick on the uptake, Lulu," Nightmare said with a sigh. She took a deep breath and continued, saying, "Yes, my plans have changed. Quite drastically, to be honest."

Nightmare Moon stopped in front of a mural window depicting her defeat at the hands of the Elements of Harmony. She reached out a hoof and touched the window, which started to move and play out like a movie.

"Twilight has.... Changed me. Starting from when I first latched onto her, Twilight's life has changed me in so many ways, it's hard to tell where she ends and I begin sometimes," Nightmare said, watching the events unfold in the window, "Her honesty, loyalty, kindness, laughter, and generosity have changed me for the better. I... if I'm honest with myself, I fell in love with her..."

Luna stared for a moment at the back of Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn, bringer of night eternal, changed by loving a mare? Insane. Not possible.

"That, is highly improbable, Nightmare Moon," Luna said scathingly, "You were cold and unforgiving when you took over and I have no reason to believe otherwise now."

Nightmare Moon heaved a sorrowful sigh and said, "Yes, I suppose you don't.... But I'm not going to try and convince you. Twilight already trusts me implicitly, at least she does subconsciously. If the fact that I haven't forced her to do anything against her will is not an indicator, then I'm not sure if you'll ever be convinced...."

Nightmare turned around, her face unreadable and said, "Next question."

Luna pondered for a moment before saying, "Twilight has been having nightmares... that involve you, as I'm sure you already know. Why?"

"I built this palace inside of her subconscious," Nightmare Moon stated, "At first, I could barely maintain it, but after a while it became easier. But, in order to do this, I had to partition an incredibly small part of Twilight's mind away from her, so I would not end up becoming lost in her subconscious mind. After a few years, the palace was completed and I had realized my feelings for the adorable unicorn egghead. She found her way here and started exploring."

Nightmare Moon turned and began walking down the hallway again, stopping in front of a mural depicting Twilight in front of the doors to the throne room and began speaking again, "She was very eager to learn why this place was here and how it came to be, so being the logical pony she is, she deduced that a palace like this must have a throne room, and therefore, someone or something ruling it. She came to the throne room, searching for answers and I would have gladly given them to her. But she always hesitated or woke up shortly before making it in here. Then the Hellions started appearing in her dreams. They forced her mind into this palace and chased her here, where I appeared and struggled in vain to keep them from her. In my haste to protect my love, I forgot that Hellions feed on fear and Twilight was absolutely terrified of them. So they became stronger, while Twilight became weaker. It wasn't until after the second or third time she was chased here that I found a way to keep her safe from the Hellions.... I forced the object of her fear to become me, by draining her til death."

Nightmare Moon had lowered her head in shame as she told her story. Luna had watched as her counterpart spoke her mind, her voice cracking in several places and tears starting to fall. The lunar princess was beginning to doubt that Nightmare Moon was truly evil. After all, she had heard second hand stories from first hand witnesses at the wedding of Cadence and Shining Armor that love had quite spectacularly saved the day from Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling horde.

"Let us say that I believe you," Luna said slowly, "What, exactly would you do if I left you to your own devices here?"

Nightmare Moon looked up, surprised and said, unsure of herself, "I would probably continue to keep the Hellions at bay. At least until Twilight could face me without giving into her fear... Then, I don't know what I would do."

Luna pondered her reply for a few moments, then said, "Twilight's body is not strong enough to maintain multiple souls for very long. At the most, it would end up being a few months, then her body would begin to tire out."

"I know," Nightmare Moon said, solemnly.

"But, I believe that mine would be able to handle the stress," Luna said confidently, "And, because of how resilient my body is, you would be able to continue to live on, in some way."

"You would do that for me?" Nightmare asked hesitantly, "After all I put you through?"

Luna nodded and suddenly found herself wrapped up in an embrace from Nightmare Moon. She awkwardly patted the other alicorn on the back. Nightmare Moon pulled away with a sheepish smile on her face. Then, the two of them walked back to the throne room in an amicable silence, Nightmare Moon's face plastered with a goofy looking grin.

"Luna," Nightmare said as the two of them reached the throne, "I have a small request to make of you."

Luna hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll try and do what you ask, but I cannot make any guarantees...."

Nightmare chuckled and responded with a smile, "It is not anything world shaking, to be sure. I was just wondering.... Would you ask Twilight to call me Serene?"

"Serene?" Luna asked, "Why that?"

Nightmare Moon.... No, Serene looked up and said with a heavy voice, "I'm tired of being seen as an evil thing. On Nightmare Night, it's rather flattering that ponies do not exactly fear me, but enjoy the night... Other times, it feels like a hot knife being pressed against my breast and it hurts me. I would have asked Twilight myself.... But I do not think that she would be as likely to treat me with the deference you have shown. Not without some sort of proof that I truly mean her no harm."

Luna nodded and said, "I will talk to Twilight about this, Serene. I promise."

Serene nodded and said, "Twilight will be here soon. Which means that you should leave, before she gets here, so you can talk with her after she wakes up."

Luna nodded once more, then left in a flash of silvery light, just as the door to the throne room was pushed open.

Back in the waking realm, Luna could smell something delicious cooking in the kitchen. She went over to the dining room and found a disheveled Twilight already sitting at the table eating, with Spike carrying out a second plate of pancakes and something that looked suspiciously like bacon. Taking a seat, Luna thanked Spike and sniffed the bacon-y thing gingerly before taking a tentative bite.

"This isn't meat, is it, Spike?" Luna asked, "I drink blood as it is, I do not want to add carnivore to the list at the moment."

Spike peaked out of the kitchen and said, "Nah, it's some kind of meat substitute, made from tofu, I think. Tastes almost like meat, but Twilight can never get enough of the stuff."

He popped back in and came out carrying his own plate with a small assortment of gemstones and a plate of pancakes all his own and took a seat as Luna started in on her food. It was quite delicious, and Luna said so, to which Spike said, "Don't mention it, Luna, I'm glad to do this stuff. And we both know Twilight is kind of a bad cook."

Luna chuckled as Twilight huffed and said indignantly, "I'm not that bad... Am I?"

"The first time you tried cooking, it looked like a volcano erupted in the kitchen and the food itself looked like it was made of obsidian," Spike said in deadpan, "And obsidian tasted WAY better than that stuff did."

"Right...." Twilight said with a slight blush, "So... on to a different topic then. Luna, how was the dream walking?"

Luna took a swig of blood from her flask, then said, "It went well. I can confirm without a doubt that Nightmare Moon is inside of your body, and that she means no more harm to you than Spike."

Twilight visibly relaxed at that and let out a sigh of relief she hadn't been aware she was holding in. She took a drink of the orange juice in front of her, then asked, "What is she doing inside of me? I thought that she had been destroyed by the Elements of Harmony."

"The Elements are not tools of destruction, Twilight," Luna explained, "They merely purged my body of her influence, which left her as a spirit and allowed her to latch onto you. Like, I said, however, she means you no harm. She had some nefarious plans for you at first, but being with you changed her, for the better."

"How can you be so sure she's changed?" Spike asked, "I mean, this IS Nightmare Moon we're talking about here. How do we know she isn't trying to trick us?"

It was Twilight, much to everyone's surprise who responded and said, "Serene has had plenty of time to do something by this point. I think the fact that she hasn't done anything to hurt either me or anyone else through me speaks volumes about her change."

"How do you know that name, Twilight?" Luna asked.

Twilight blinked and said, "What do you mean?"

"Serene is the name Nightmare Moon wishes to go by from now on," Luna explained, "She told me so herself, shortly before I woke up. So, how do you know it?"

Twilight took another drink of her juice and said slowly, "I think I felt it... Here." She put a hoof over her chest where her heart is, then continued, "I'm not sure, though... May have just been a slip of the tongue."

Luna studied Twilight's almost lovestruck expression for a moment, then said with a smirk, "Then I do not think I will need to convince you to call her by Serene. Seems your heart has already accepted it."

"Yeah, I guess so," Twilight said with a small smile.

Luna, Twilight, and Spike ate for a few moments in a relatively friendly silence. It didn't last long, though, because a bright pink blur blew through the house and sat down at the table, her cotton candy like hair bouncing as she did.

Luna was thoroughly shocked by the appearance of Pinkie Pie, so much so that the bite of pancake she was about to put into her mouth was left there as her mouth hung open at the pink mare. She quickly put her fork back down and closed her mouth before turning to Twilight, who shook her head, even as Pinkie took a sip of juice. Luna sighed, then continued to eat, knowing she would probably never have an explanation for what just happened.

"So, Pinkie," Twilight said with a smile, "What brings you here?"

"Oh, that's REALLY easy!" Pinkie exclaimed happily, "I'm here because Luna is here to see you and she needs to be properly introduced!!"

"Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea," Twilight said thoughtfully.

"What sounds like a good idea?" Luna asked curiously. Spike covered his ears with a smirk, knowing what was coming next.

"A PARTY!!!!" Pinkie said at the top of her lungs, "There will be cake and games and punch and ponies and then in the morning, I'm makin' waffles!!!"

Luna's eye began twitching as Pinkie continued rambling, occasionally saying something like 'alcohol' and 'no kids allowed after nine'. After Twilight said that they would be there the next day, she ushered Pinkie out the door, mostly to save Luna's sanity but also to make sure Pinkie had enough time to plan the party.

"How do you stand that mare?" Luna asked, her eye still twitching.

"She grows on you," Twilight said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile....

In a castle bordering the edge of the dragons ancestral lands and the kingdom of Equestria, a lone dragon, no larger than Princess Celestia finally began to put his plans into motion. He called forth a pegasus from outside of his personal study, and prepared to give her orders to carry out, first penning a message to be delivered upon getting a hold of the package.

"Epitaph," the dragon rumbled, "Here are your orders. Tell no one of your whereabouts or of your mission. When you retrieve the package, return here after delivering this message to our targets."

Shattered Epitaph, the pegasus messenger gave a crisp salute, took the sealed scroll from her master and said, "Yes, Count Dracul." then, she took to the air, through the window of the study and angled herself towards Ponyville. Count Dracul, lord of the castle Wyurd watched as Shattered Epitaph's form became smaller and smaller in the distance, a smirk on his face as the first part of his plan was put into motion.