"is everypony all snuggled up?" Moonshadow asked.

"Yessir," Starlight said, her voice ringing with curiosity.

For the special story, Moonshadow dimmed the lights a little and brought in multiple blankets so they would be comfy. As thank-yous and giggles flew around the room, the dragon-pony allowed everypony to get comfortable as he looked around the throne room. It has been an extremely long time since he last entered the room, and it has grown quite a bit, leaving him impressed. Stepping out for a bit, he noticed for giant stained glass windows alongside the hall. He was able to identify Celestia and Luna immediately, and he soon recognized Twilight soon afterwards. The one between Twilight and Luna, however...

Who the hay is that pony?

"That's Cadance," a voice said.

Startled, Moonshadow turned, horn glowing, to find Twilight, looking a bit startled himself. "S-Sorry, Twilight."

"No, that was my bad. I shouldn't have snuck up on you."

She came to stand next to him. "Anyways, like I said, that's Cadance. Princess of Family, Ruler of the Crystal Empire..."

So that's who replaced Sombra...

"And my sister-in-law."

Moonshadow turned in shock. "Sister-in-law, you say?"

"Yeah. My brother, Shining Armor, is her husband. They even got a daughter - Flurry Heart. My niece."

"Huh..."

Twilight looked at him curiously, searching for an answer. "What's wrong? Did you..."

"I don't know. I guess I just never thought about who replaced Sombra... After all, a lot can change in a thousand years, you know?" He sighed. "No, probably not. Never mind."

As Moonshadow began to walk back to the Throne Room, he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned to see Twilight looking at him softly. "It's going to be alright."

He gave a small smile, something Twilight wasn't expecting from him. "Thanks."

She blushed slightly, and they walked down the hall together, hides slightly brushing against each other.

...

"Alright," Moonshadow said, silencing the entire room almost immediately. "I'm about to explain to you what I am... Tell you what I did before my... banishment..." He sighed once more. "However, I'm going to let Mom explain the beginning of it, how she and Dad met. After all, she can do it better than I ever will."

"Thanks, Moonshadow," Luna said. "Now, where to begin.." She lowered her head to think, then rose it again and began to speak.

"Three thousand years ago, When I was born, my mother, Queen Galaxia, had a terrible dream - one that involved me being sent unwillingly to the moon. Though she tried to explain it to her husband - My father, King Cosmos - she could not find a satisfying answer. Finally, she and Father decided to go to the Dragon Lands to consult the Psydra for her advice."

"Wait, I thought Psykari was male!" Rainbow Dash cried in confusion, only to realize everypony was glaring at her. "What?"

"Well, if you'd let me finish, I'll explain," Luna sighed, then continued. "Days later, we arrived to our destination. Despite the explanation for our purpose of arriving, the dragons were still hesitant about us. Moments later, the former Psydra, Psykria, landed in front of us. She told them to leave and then turned towards us.

"My mother always said she was awed by the Psydra's appearance. She was old - you could tell by the faded light in her eyes - yet her aura was as strong as a supernova. Knowing what we came for, Psykria explained that I would be destined to be a determined alicorn, but be transformed through dark magic and be banished to the moon, yet I would be reformed soon after.

"After answering, her scales immediately started falling off. My parents ran to help as she collapsed, yet she smiled softly and whispered, 'Don't worry, my time has come...' She then disappeared with a soft glow, leaving behind nothing but a glowing white horn.

"Father went to pick it up, but backed up in surprise as it began to glow and change form. Soon, in its place laid a male baby Psydra - the next one in line.

"As my family looked on in shock, I crawled my way up to him and laid down next to its legs. He looked at me, cooed, and bumped my nose, causing me to coo and snuggle in to him." She stopped, and looked flustered for a moment. "At least, that's how Mother explained to me..."

"Ever since then, Mom and Dad have tried to see each other as often as they could," Moonshadow continued. "Finally, after 500 years of meeting each other, they got together and had me two-hundred and fifty years after that.

"Even though the Dragon Lord wouldn't allow my parents to marry, he did allow them to live in harmony in The Dragon Lands. As I grew older, my alicorn powers continued to grow stronger, and soon I became an alicorn - though it was slightly off, considering I have dragon wings instead of the typical pegasus wings.

Eventually, Mom wanted me to help her and... Celestia... keep Equestria safe, keep it at peace. Though they were typically the ones to finish the job, I did all the... say, 'dirty work.' I fought the enemies, weakening them to the point where they can't even raise their heads so they can speak. That way, the alicorns could - "

Applejack yawned, then rose wearily. "Ah don't know about y'all, but Ah'm gonna hit the haystack. Today's been pretty eventful, and left meh pretty tired.

"Fair enough," Luna said, then rose as well. "I believe all of you should go to bed. We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow... Good night."

"Goodnight, guys," Moonshadow said, already walking off. "Hope you guys get a good night's rest."

"Goodnight, Moonshadow!"

Author's Note

I know what you're thinking...