“Aw cwap!” I cursed in a childish tone, my voice higher and softer, sounding like some tomboy kid. Looking around at the oversized world, I realized I wasn’t too far from the truth.

“Wawity, I need a miwwow!” I blinked and grumbled, “Mirror…”

Rarity looked like she was melting from cuteness before she cleared her throat. “Oh, yes, of course!” She pulled out a hoof mirror and held it out to me.

I grasped the edges with my smaller hooves and gasped softly. Looking back was a small, familiar filly—no older than ten, I guessed. As I turned my head from side to side, I noticed my horn was much shorter and stubbier, and my wings were tiny, like little chicken wings. My fur was nearly the same color as before, but my mane and tail were completely transformed! No longer were they clouds of stars; they resembled Luna's old hair only purple, like from before she transformed imto… Nightmare… Ugh, great…

Groaning, I ran my hoof down my face. “Thiws iws widicuwous,” I moaned, pouting as I crossed my arms and glared at Twilight. “Fix this.”

“I’m sorry, Blake, I can’t,” Twilight began. Seeing my glare deepen, she quickly added, “But it’s temporary! It should only last about… a day.” She smiled anxiously.

“A whole day??? I can’t be a filly for a whole day!!!!” I exclaimed, throwing my hooves up in frustration.

“Oh, darling, it won’t be so bad! I mean, look at you!” Rarity exclaimed, scooping me into her arms and hugging me close, nuzzling her head into mine. “Such a cute wittle snuggly filly!”

“Nuuuu, wewease me!!” I whined, squirming and struggling in Rarity’s overly strong grip.

“Dawww, little grumpy girl,” Rarity giggled.

“Nnnnghhhh,” I squirmed more and pushed her face away with my tiny hooves.

“Alright, Rarity, don’t snuggle him to death. Let’s get back to the castle and wait this out with Blake,” Twilight suggested with a smile.

“Sounds good tuwu me,” I huffed, giving up on escaping Rarity’s arms.

Rarity smiled. “Oh, I’m going to style your mane in the best ways, and maybe you can try on some of my filly wear!” She giggled, but her excitement faded when I shot her a fiery glare. “Well… perhaps not the dresses…”

Once released, I hopped to the ground and began walking, but I found myself lagging behind as the girls moved ahead. My little legs couldn't keep up, and my feet started to hurt.

Twilight glanced back when she realized I was falling behind. She lit her horn, and suddenly, I was lifted off the ground. I flailed my tiny limbs before she gently placed me on her back. “Sorry, Blake, I figured you’d like a ride since you’ve been sick,” she said, clearly lying.

Even if I knew the real reason she picked me up, I appreciated her kindness. I couldn’t help but smile softly. “Thanks, Twi…”

She replied with a warm smile as she continued walking. It felt strange to ride a pony, considering I was one myself, but it wasn’t too bad.

“Oh, Miss Twilight!” a female voice called, approaching us. The group paused, and I followed their gaze, spotting Mayor Mare trotting up with a nervous smile.

“Mayor Mare! Hi, what can I do for you?” Twilight greeted.

“Oh, nothing really. I was just wondering about the giant timberwolf and if there will be more…” She said anxiously, looking around with her ears pinned back.

“Hopefully,” Twilight replied, glancing back at me. “That was the only one…”

“I just sneezed on one,” I whispered.

Twilight nodded, returning her gaze to Mayor Mare. “Just the one.”

Mayor Mare sighed in relief, wiping sweat from her brow. “Thank Celestia! The town couldn’t handle another one of those horrible creatures.” She then glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “And who might this be?”

Twilight blinked and looked back at me before returning her gaze to Mayor Mare. “Oh, um… th-this is, um, well…”

“Luna’s niece!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted.

“Yes! She’s watching her!” Rarity added.

“I am?” Twilight looked confused, then it clicked. “I am! Yes, this is my niece… uh…” she stammered, blanking again.

“Nyx!” Pinkie Pie quickly jumped in front of her, smiling.

“Yes, Nyx!” Twilight finally agreed.

“Princess Luna's niece?? Is she here too?” Mayor Mare asked, looking around before her gaze returned to me.

“Oh, um no, she’s back in Canterlot. She asked me to watch little Nyx here while she visits,” Twilight explained, ruffling my mane just narrowly avoiding a snap from me as I tried to bite her hoof.

“Well, welcome to Ponyville!” Mayor Mare exclaimed happily.

I forced a smile. “Hi…”

“So, have you enrolled her in the schoolhouse?” Mayor Mare asked Twilight.

“Enrolled? Oh, um… n-no…” Twilight replied nervously.

“Oh well, you know the law; a filly must enroll in school when it’s a school month, even if she’s just visiting,” Mayor Mare reminded Twilight.

“Right… Yes… I’ll get on it,” Twilight nodded, smiling.

“What??!” I shouted.

Twilight quickly used her wings to cover me. “Well, Mayor Mare, I’ll get right on that. Bye!” She began to run off, followed by the others as they hurried toward the castle.

“I’m not going to school! You can’t make me!” I pouted.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was always a filly…” Applejack muttered to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash nodded with a smirk.

“I heard that!” I growled at them, groaning again at my childlike voice. This was all the potion's fault!

“Actually, darling, speaking of that, how come Blake isn’t a baby like you were?” Rarity asked curiously.

“Oh, you’re right, I can’t believe I forgot that!” Twilight replied, surprised and curious now as she held her chin deep in thought. “Perhaps it’s due to Blake being older than I am? I mean, Luna and Celestia were in their early thousands of years old when Luna became… um…” she caught herself, avoiding triggering names.

“What?? You mean I’m not even seventeen??” I exclaimed, shocked by the loss of my age… twice!

“Yes, I suppose your age did change when you transformed since you didn’t look—” Twilight paused, looking stunned. “You’re seventeen?!”

I blinked and nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“You’re a child!” Twilight shouted in shock.

Looking down at my filly form, then back at her, I remarked, “Wow… you really are a genius.”

“No,” Twilight huffed, facehooving before looking at me. “I mean, your form is closer to your age now!”

“What?? I’m not a kid back on Earth! I’m seventeen, almost an adult!” I shouted in annoyance.

“You are?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

“We’re the same age!” I huffed.

“No, we are not! I’m thirty-three,” she said, placing her hoof on her chest. “I’m a young adult.”

“Uhhh what? That’s not...” I began, confused, as I processed everything. I closed my eyes and waved my hoof dramatically at her. “Hold on, hold on… how old are the Crusaders?”

“About ten,” Twilight replied, unsure where this was going.

“And you’re thirty-three… okay, so… I think there’s a difference in our ages, Twi,” I answered. “Seventeen is close to a young adult, thirty is an adult, sixty to ninety is senior, and after that, it’s…the grave.”

Twilight looked puzzled again. “You’re right…we do have different lifespans. Ponies live until four hundred; a few live longer than that, but four hundred is the average,” she explained.

“Jeez…” I rubbed my head. “No wonder ponies have their childhood extended; you guys live way longer than humans.”

Twilight rubbed her chin, deep in thought. “Wait… based on what you said about your lifespan compared to ours…” She seemed to contemplate for a moment, then added, “You’re eighteen.”

“Twilight, we’ve been over this. I’m seventeen, which for some reason in this world means I’m practically a preteen,” I retorted, growing increasingly annoyed by the math, can't believe I'm older than the crusaders but by this world's logic not by much.

“Exactly! Based on what you’ve said and estimating the difference in our lifespans, your pony form would theoretically be older than your human body due to Luna’s age—somewhere in the thousands. Zecora’s antidote turned me into a one-year-old filly when I took it. You’re closer to the Crusaders’ age, so it can be assumed the potion considered both your human age and your pony age.”

“Putting that together and dividing my age from a thousand gives us zero point eighteen. The factors of eighteen are one, two, three, six, nine, and eighteen. The factors of a thousand are one, two, four, five, eight, ten, twenty, twenty-five, fifty, one hundred—so the GCF for both eighteen and a thousand is two.”

“Now, to reduce the fraction, we divide both the numerator and denominator by the GCF value. A fraction of eighteen and a thousand divided by two due to the potion’s magical properties results in a fraction of nine over five hundred. Thus, you’ve regressed to the estimated age of nine,” Twilight concluded, catching her breath after her monologue.

I blinked “Could you translate that into English?”

Twilight huffed, facehooving again. “Essentially, you’re a year older than you think on Earth, and you’re too big to be any younger than nine or ten currently.”

“But that’s impossible! My birthday isn’t until October…” A realization hit me—winter had just passed. October should have been before that, but it wasn’t. In fact, Christmas hadn’t happened either. “Twilight, why didn’t you celebrate Christmas… or, uh, Hearth’s Warming?”

“That’s not for another month,” Twilight replied, confused by my sudden change in topic.

“Okay, what about Halloween or Nightmare Night? Shouldn’t that have passed already? It’s in October.”

“Earth is… strange. October is after December,” Twilight explained.

“What?? Ugh, okay, so then on Earth it’s…” I paused as the realization struck me. “October… I… I missed my birthday…”

“What?” Twilight asked, confused, leaning closer.

My birthday... I missed it. I had aged without even realizing it. Eighteen… I had been away for so long. My parents… they hadn’t celebrated my birthday. I was supposed to be eighteen, and somehow that felt so distant, and yet now it was real. I didn’t even feel any different. Did it even matter? No one here knew. I wasn’t even the same age in this body…this body, not my body, this body that had changed again…I was…I'm…

Twilight frowned as she watched me stare blankly into space. I could feel a tremor in my body, pain across my face. “Blake, please talk to me…”

I remained silent, tears welling in my eyes before running down my cheeks as I shook with sobs. Twilight quickly wrapped her wing around me, pulling me into a tight hug.

It felt like the last straw as I unleashed my floodgate of emotions, crying into her chest. It was like I couldn’t get close enough as I pressed into her soft fur. Twilight hooked her leg around me, cradling me gently.

The other girls moved in closer, joining the hug to comfort me. Their hearts ached as they held the sobbing filly tightly.

“Blake, everything will be okay. We’ll figure this out, fix you, and get you home…” Twilight whispered soothingly.

“You don’t even believe I’m from another world…” I barely murmured, my voice almost inaudible.

Twilight’s ears pinned back. “Well… there’s always a chance. This is Equestria, and stranger things have happened.”

I lifted my head, tilting it in curiosity. “Really?”

“Well… no, this is probably the strangest.” Twilight smiled awkwardly.

The girls giggled, and a small smile crept onto my face. Wiping my cheeks, I shuffled back, and they all stepped back to give me space.

“Thanks… all of you. I feel like I have a breakdown every day or so; you must be getting good at it,” I attempted humor, but kept my eyes on the floor. I was aware my speech was slow and focused; my age was definitely affecting my mannerisms, but I was handling it.

“Well, now that you mention it…” Rainbow Dash replied, tilting her head away.

Applejack playfully punched her shoulder before looking back at me. “Ah think she means we’ve been learnin’ how to help ya.”

I gave a bitter laugh. “Oh, goodie… got everyone walking on eggshells.”

“Darling, that’s not what Applejack meant,” Rarity frowned.

“No, no… it’s fine. So, what do we do to… fix me?” I gestured to my filly self.

“Well, the side effects will wear off in a short period, but until then, you should stay inside since it is a law that children should be in school at this time,” Twilight explained with a sigh, “and explaining an illness that’s so rare, only known to the princesses and us, will just cause more problems.”

“I have to stay here all day??” I whined, standing up.

“Or one of the other girls’ houses?” Twilight offered, smiling as she looked to her friends.

Rarity and Applejack avoided making eye contact, while Fluttershy smiled softly.

“My home is nice and cozy; we could stay in my hiding spot and read a nice book until you’re all better,” Fluttershy suggested warmly.

I smiled, but it quickly faded. “Uh, no offense, but… I don’t think all your animals would like that. Even like this, I’m betting they won’t like me…”

“Oh…” Fluttershy frowned, realizing she hadn’t thought of that. She felt bad for forgetting.

“Oh! She can come stay with me and the Cakes! We can try cooking again, but this time we’ll keep an eye on the cake!” Pinkie exclaimed with excitement, somehow bulging her eyes at me as I leaned back in surprise.

“Uh… s-suuure…” I forced a smile, but Pinkie quickly scooped me up, holding me over her head as she balanced on two legs.

“Yes!!” The pink blur rushed off.

“I’ll bet five bits they’ll be back in a few minutes,” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Rainbow Dash! Have more faith in dear Pinkie Pie!” Rarity frowned at her.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“It'll likely be ten at most” Rarity added with a flip of her mane.

“You're on!” Rainbow Dash smirked.

I blinked as I found myself suddenly in a bakery. I swore I had just been in the library at the castle, but there was this strange pink blur in my memory…

“Okay, so this is the bakery. Here’s the tables, the chairs, the stairs, the sweets, and the cakes!” Pinkie explained, zipping around the room while pointing things out.

“Oh, Pinkie, who’s this?” Mrs. Cake asked, walking over.

“This is… uh…” Pinkie blanked, looking lost.

I facehoofed. She literally just came up with my name! I then smiled as cutely as I could. “Hi! I’m Nyx; nice to meet you, Miss!” I held out my hoof.

“Oh, she’s so sweet and has such good manners,” Mrs. Cake smiled, gently shaking my hoof.

“Yeah! She’s the princess's niece,” Pinkie piped in cheerfully.

Mrs. Cake’s eyes widened, and she quickly bowed. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea you were royalty. Um, would you like some sweets? They’re on the house!” She smiled nervously.

I blinked, then smiled, placing a hoof under my chin. “Oh, a cupcake does sound good…”

Mrs. Cake nodded rapidly, hurrying back to grab some. Pinkie shot me a look, as if daring me to refuse.

“What? I’m just staying in character,” I smirked.

Mrs. Cake returned with cupcakes and set them down before me. I eagerly took one and munched on the delicious cake and frosting, not caring that icing smeared on my muzzle.

Mrs. Cake couldn’t help but “aww” at the sight. However, when I glanced at her, she quickly smiled nervously and walked back to the kitchen.

I guess royalty made ponies nervous. I really needed to get a pony dictionary for times like these. It would make a great birthday gift—I froze mid-chew, slowly swallowing as I looked down at the cupcake in my hooves. Right… I had missed my birthday back home.

Suddenly, a string of clear slime dripped down from above, landing on my cupcake. My ear twitched at the sudden intrusion, and before I could even process it, I instinctively looked up.

Shapes lunged down, tackling me to the floor. A squeak escaped my throat as I fell, lifting my head to see the two would-be perfect organisms pinning me down.

A cream-colored colt and a yellow filly munched on cupcakes, or rather gummed them.

The two babbled as they looked toward me, and I squirmed to get free. Ew, diapers!

“Oh!” Mrs. Cake hurried over to pick up the babies. “I am so sorry! They just really like sweets.”

“I-it’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it,” I said, feeling like one of them had drooled on me or something.

Mrs. Cake hurried away, and Pinkie walked over giggling. “The twins are so sneaky!”

“Heh, yeah…” I muttered, still processing the pure chaos.

Pinkie glanced at me, confused. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh… I just… babies make me uncomfortable. They’re… gross,” I cringed.

Pinkie gasped dramatically, her hooves flying to her cheeks. “But but they’re so cute!”

“Well, pony ones, yeah. Human ones… eh, some are,” I shrugged.

“Oh, hmm… well, they live here, so…” Pinkie tried to think.

“It’ll be okay… hopefully,” I smiled, but suddenly I felt something touch my wing. I flinched, launching myself onto Pinkie's head, instinctively arching my back. I glared at whatever had touched me.

The cream one was sitting where I had been. How the heck was he back here?? When my tail was touched, I rolled off Pinkie, who fumbled and caught me. We both looked up to see the yellow one on her head!

“How??” I yelled, feeling on edge.

“They… are sneaky?” Pinkie could only offer.

“...I’d like to go back to Twilight’s now…” I replied, tensely.

I sighed as I rode on Pinkie’s back, heading back to the library. Once inside, I hopped off and stumbled on the landing. The girls reached to catch me, but I recovered on my own. “So… next place?” I smiled anxiously.

“What happened?” Twilight frowned, observing my disheveled state.

“Blake doesn’t like babies…” Pinkie frowned heavily.

“They just make me uncomfortable,” I huffed.

Rainbow Dash shot forward, taking some bits from a pouting Rarity. “I’ll take them, I can show Blake around my cool place!”

I smiled softly. “Sounds good as long as there are no babies.” I walked over.

“Well, not until you’re there,” Rainbow Dash smirked, placing me on her back.

I rolled my eyes, unable to contain my smile. Rainbow Dash was just… I don’t know. She was nice, cool, and probably my favorite pony.

“Cya, guys!” Rainbow Dash saluted and flew out of the castle slowly. Once outside the front doors, she looked over her shoulder. “Hold tight, Blake!”

I smiled and grabbed onto her fur, gripping with my hooves, wait how do I grip with-

Rainbow Dash rocketed into the sky, leaving a rainbow trail as she rushed toward the clouds. My eyes widened as I felt the force and wind tugging at me, causing my hooves to instinctively cling tighter. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, like a roller coaster… wait, I had never been on one, why was that again?

As I glanced back at the green smudge below us, I was quickly reminded of my fear of heights. “Heh heh,” I said nervously, my eyes twitching as I turned my head forward again, holding on even tighter.

Soon, Rainbow Dash flew toward a castle made of clouds and rainbows and landed. She walked in through the door, sighing. “Whew! So, whatcha think?” She looked back at me.

My hair was tousled from the wind as I blinked and slowly climbed off. “It was… fun… fun and scary.”

“Scary??” Rainbow Dash tilted her head, confused.

“Uh, yeah… I’ve never gone that fast… or high… heh, fear of heights…” I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Dang, that sucks, especially for someone with wings,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“You’ve got no idea…” I sighed, taking in my surroundings. Everything was made of clouds. Oh! Right, I had been here before. Twilight and the girls had taken me here when they were trying to cheer Dash up about Tank. I hadn’t really gotten to explore the place, though, Should be pretty cool—why is everything moving upward?

“So basically, this is where I live. Pretty nice, right? Being in the Wonderbolts pays well, and the weather factory does too. What do you want to check out first? Maybe my many trophies—Blake?” Rainbow Dash glanced around at the empty hall before noticing an odd indent in the floor. “Crap baskets!!”

I screamed and flailed as I fell through the air, bursting through cloud after cloud. Why weren’t they holding me?! I could walk on them so easily before! Why wasn’t it working?! Wings! Wings! Fly!!

I flapped my wings as quickly as I could, but they only buzzed like a fly. “Why?! Help!! Halp!!!!”

Looking down, I saw the green ground rushing toward me, or more correctly, I was rushing towards it. I was going to die! I was going to die in a cartoon full of ponies, as a pony, and as a child!

A loud boom rang through the air before I was yanked sideways, and my descent stopped as I looked up to my blue savior.

“Blake! Are you okay?? What happened??” Rainbow Dash asked, panic evident in her voice.

“I-I sank thwough the floow…” I muttered, burying my face in her chest, shaking.

Rainbow Dash sighed in relief, frowning down at me. “Maybe Twilight's is the best after all…”

I nodded softly into her chest, too shaken to speak.

Rainbow Dash slowly flew back to Twilight's castle, carefully adjusting how she held me and taking it slower than I assumed she liked… for my sake.

Once we arrived, I hung my head as I stepped away from the blue mare.

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah… my place isn’t going to work either…”

“What happened this time?” Twilight huffed.

I flinched at Twilight's reaction. Why do I keep messing up? Is it encoded in my DNA?!

“Uh, plumbing, yeah, water is just all over the place,” Rainbow Dash nodded, clearly lying.

I blinked, glancing at her in shock. She… lied? For me? But… why?

Dash looked at Applejack, who gave her a knowing look. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Maybe Blake should stay here. We all could keep her company; it would be nice.”

I smiled softly. I never thought I’d have Rainbow Dash sticking up for me, considering she was a cartoon to me not that long ago..

“Actually, I have an idea: Blake should go to school,” Twilight said with a smile.

All the joy drained from my body instantly. I looked up at her. “What?! I’m a grown adult!”

“Actually, you’re a child in both our worlds... well, for your kind it’s not like that… never mind. Since you’re here, you should learn some Equestrian culture. It will help you fit in.” Twilight smiled as she explained.

My eye twitched. “I don’t wanna fit in! I’m fine being an outcast!!” I yelled, stomping my hoof.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Blake, you need this. It will help, and you need to learn this stuff. You may want to be an outcast, but you have to learn how to be a pony. Remember the princess's orders? You need to prove you’re good enough to be a citizen.”

“You're definitely reading between the lines a bit too heavily there, Miss Books! I’m fine! Sure, I don’t know the history or other pony stuff, but I’m handling it just fine!” I glared.

“Those are things you literally need,” Twilight huffed.

“I’m not going! You can’t make me!!” I shouted, flaring my wings.

Twilight gasped and flared her wings back. “You are too, young lady!”

I flinched back as Twilight almost seemed to grow in front of me. I must have done something that triggered her instincts because she looked pretty angry, and I felt extremely intimidated. And why did she have to say young lady…

“Twilight…” Fluttershy said softly.

“What??” Twilight snapped, turning to her sharply.

Fluttershy tilted her head towards me, and Twilight followed her gaze before frowning at my reaction.

My ears pinned back as I looked away, wrapping one hoof around my leg, feeling small.

Twilight sighed. “Blake… I’m sorry… I—”

“Let’s just get this stupid idea over with…” I grumbled, turning and walking toward the door.

Twilight reached for me, but after a moment, she sighed and followed, using her magic to pull over the saddlebags she had apparently prepared.

I stared up at the schoolhouse. This blows... Not only was it school, but it was kindergarten or something... Ugh, I just had to be a child. These saddlebags were heavy too—stupid books and stupid kid body.

“Alright, now Blake, be on your best behavior and please try to have fun. Learning can be fun if you try,” Twilight pleaded.

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, MOM” I replied sarcastically.

Twilight's eyes widened before she looked away nervously. Suddenly, she opened the door and hurriedly pushed me inside as she walked toward Ms. Cheerlie.

Ms. Cheerlie blinked at the sight of us. “Princess Twilight, what a surprise! I was just about to start a class. What can I do for you today?”

“Hi! Sorry for interrupting, but I would like to have… uh, Princess Luna's niece, Nyx, join your class, just for the day, because she'll be returning home tomorrow,” Twilight forced a wide smile.

I stared up at her, bewildered by her poor excuse for lying.

“Oh! Of course! We'd love to have her. Nyx, please find a seat and sit if you don’t mind, and you can listen in,” Ms. Cheerlie said warmly, craning her head down toward me.

I forced a smile and nodded before walking toward the seats.

“See you after school, Nyx! I'll pick you up right away! Oh, and just have Cheerlie send a letter for me if you need anything or if you start to feel unwell, like a tummy ache or—” Twilight rambled, smiling softly.

Heat grew in my cheeks as I noticed the students covering their muzzles to giggle. “I’ll be fine!” I snapped back at her.

“Op... um, okay, bye then... I’ll go...” Twilight said anxiously as she slowly left.

My ears pinned back, and I kept my eyes on the floor as I made my way to the westernmost back of the room. I tossed my saddlebags off to the side and sat down, resting my head against the desk. Just breathe. Get through this. When I’m an adult again, I’ll give Twilight one heck of a yelling…

Ms. Cheerlie resumed her lesson, but I could feel the kids' attention on me. Why did we go with the princess’s niece thing? Well, I was still an alien filly, so… ugh, never fails…

Peeking through my violet locks, I caught a few curious looks. Some of these kids didn’t look familiar, while a few I recognized as background characters. And… oh, the CMC. I definitely recognized them, especially Applebloom, who was staring me down with a focused expression. Oh crud, did she recognize me? I mean, I basically looked like a filly version of Nightmare Moon. Ugh, whyyyy?!

A loud bell rang, causing me to flinch and flare my wings in surprise. The kids began leaving their seats and collecting lunchboxes as they lined up at a different door. So… not school over—lunch time? How long had I been sitting here?

Glancing at the clock, I realized at least thirty minutes had passed. I was in here for thirty minutes?!?

Lord, I need to get a handle on myself. Looking to my saddlebags, I checked them and found a lunchbox. It was simple but definitely good quality, screaming "Twilight" in every detail. Holding it in my teeth, I turned to follow the kids, only to jolt as a pinkish-purple filly and a grey filly stood in front of me. They looked somewhat familiar.

“So you're the niece of the princess?” the pink one asked incredulously.

“Mmhm,” I nodded, humming through the handle of the lunchbox before setting it down. “Yes, I am… and who might you be?” I asked, trying to sound as proper as I could.

“I am Diamond Tiara, daughter of Filthy Rich, and this is my friend Silver Spoon,” the pink one, now named Diamond Tiara, replied as she gestured to the grey filly. These two were definitely rich kids. I mean, her dad's name is literally Filthy Rich.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I am Nyx… Night…” I introduced myself with a slight bow, mentally facepalming. Night? Seriously? Ugh.

Diamond Tiara, however, seemed to not notice or care as she smiled widely. “You have to come eat with us! Sitting alone would be so lame, especially for a princess. But I bet you could make it cool."

“Oh, um, of course! Who would want to sit alone?” I replied, trying to mirror her energy as I went to pick up my lunchbox.

“Oh, Silver Spoon will get that, right, Silver? Let’s go!” Diamond exclaimed, trotting forward.

I glanced at Silver before following Diamond. Today was turning into... something. As we stepped outside to the playground beside the school, we made our way to a shaded spot where Silver set down all three lunchboxes with a sigh.

I'll admit I was curious about what Twilight packed. Grabbing the box, I fumbled with the latch before glancing at Diamond’s curious and judging look. I quickly huffed and turned up my nose. “These latches are stupid. Usually, a servant brings me a tray or whatever.”

Diamond gasped. “A servant goes to school with you?! I’m so jealous! Daddy won’t let me bring one…” She pouted.

I smirked as she bought into the lie. “Of course! A princess can’t be seen doing things herself; it’s so… belittling.”

“Oh, of course! Silver, open her lunchbox. The princess shouldn’t have to do it,” Diamond said with a smile. “Oh, and mine too!”

“Right away, Diamond!” Silver Spoon replied, opening their lunchboxes and then her own.

Looking inside, I saw a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a milk carton, and some grapes. Score! I actually liked all these. Nice job, Twi! I snatched the sandwich and munched on it, quickly adjusting my eating style so it looked more sophisticated… however that looked.

The two girls sat on either side of me as we ate. It was… actually nice to have people who seemed impressed by me. I guess that’s the right word. This princess role was scoring me so many points with these girls; I just had to avoid screwing it up.

As I ate, I noticed the three familiar fillies of the CMC staring our way. They didn’t look super happy. Was it because of me or—

“Diamond, look! The blank flanks are giving you the stink eye!” Silver smirked, glancing at Diamond.

Diamond quirked a brow and looked over before glaring. “What’s new? Those weirdos are always jealous,” she said, upturning her nose.

“Probably more because we’re with a princess!” Silver giggled.

Diamond gasped and smiled. “You’re right! They may be sisters to the Elements of Harmony, but we’re friends with a princess!”

The two girls giggled as I looked between them. There was definitely some tension between these five, and now I was in the middle of it. Awesome.

“Hey, Nyx!” Applebloom called as she, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo approached. “Ya know you’re hangin’ out with bullies, right?”

I blinked and looked at the two beside me.

Diamond gasped, offended, as she put a hoof to her chest. “Bullies?! We’re not bullies!”

“Yes, you are!” Sweetie Belle glared, leaning forward.

Diamond Tiara growled, pressing her nose into Sweetie Belle's as they glared at one another like rabid dogs.

I looked between them and swallowed the last bit of my sandwich. “I’m out…” I said, standing up and taking my things as I walked away.

Diamond and Silver gasped. “What? Princess Nyx, wait!!” They ran after me.

“No, I don't want whatever… this is,” I waved my hoof toward the five.

“What?? But we won't fight! Promise!!” Diamond pleaded.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. “Yeah, no. Those three like to help ponies, and you two don’t like them, so… best bet, they’re telling the truth.”

Diamond scoffed, clearly offended. “Wha—how dare you! I’m Diamond Tiara! Ponies know me. Does anybody know you?”

I think that was supposed to be offensive? Rich people… Rolling my eyes again, I huffed, “Yeah, cool. I’m a princess and the niece of the two ruling princesses, so… yeah, don’t care.” I blew a raspberry at her, causing her to gasp and flinch back.

“Ta ta, Diamond Spoon and Silver Tiara!” I exclaimed, swiftly turning and trotting away, smirking at my purposeful name mix-up. That would definitely get under their fur.

“Diamond, don’t!” Scootaloo yelled, catching my attention. I tilted my head back, only to suddenly get a glob of sludge to the back of my head.

Stumbling, I caught myself before I rubbed my hoof against my hood to scoop some of the offending stuff off. I looked at it and found… applesauce. Slowly, I turned around, glaring to see Diamond Tiara standing there with her nose upturned once more.

My pupils slitted as a snarl emerged.

“For a princess, she’s got such bad eating manners—” Diamond Tiara smirked before I suddenly tackled her, screaming. Her own screams joined mine as I aggressively yanked on her hair.

“For a rich brat, your hair sucks!!” I yelled, yanking her hair in my hooves before biting at it.

Diamond screamed, stumbling back. “Get her off! Get her off! Get her off!!”

I growled as I clenched my teeth around her hair, but then suddenly I was picked up and pulled off, flailing and kicking. I tried to hit my captor but froze when I saw Ms. Cheerlie glaring at me. I slowly smiled anxiously and quickly spat out some of Diamond's hair. “Heyyyy…”

I huffed, sitting at my desk as I heard the other kids playing outside. Glancing to the left, I saw a glaring Diamond Tiara with her hair in a mess. A soft smile crept onto my lips; she deserved it.

“Nyx,” Ms. Cheerilee called sternly, snapping my attention to her serious gaze.

I quickly fixed my eyes on my desk, where a piece of schoolwork sat, questions littering it, most of which I had no clue about. There was something asking about a pony village fight, when the princesses ruled, what day the Summer Sun Solstice occurs... Say that five times fast. And then there was math. Thankfully, the math was simple, but I still struggled, I hated math. Stupid dyscalculia...

Soon, the bell rang, and the children filtered in, taking their seats. I felt a lot of eyes on me as they settled down, frowning with my ears pinned back as I tried to avoid their gaze. However, I noticed Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo giving me small smiles. That made me feel better, at least.

Okay, so the questions... Fairy Dust has five apples, Golden Flake has three. How many does Sour Grape have? That’s easy…eight? Wait who the heck is Sour Grape?

Flipping the paper up and down, I scanned over the text. Sour Grape…was this a misprint? Was it a trick question? Should I write zero? A question mark? Just throw the darn thing away??

I rubbed my temple as I stared at the paper. My head felt warm, the tips of my ears almost burning as I noticed cold sweat trickling down my neck. I didn’t even realize when my legs started rocking.

Okay, okay. Five apples and three apples, and then there’s this mystery pony… Is it one? That sounds dumb. I should just ask Ms. Cheerilee. Glancing up, I raised a hoof. “Um, M-Ms. Cheerilee,” my voice cracked, and my raised hoof slammed back to my throat. A few students snickered, making the cold sweat grow as my ears twitched toward them.

“Yes, Nyx?” Ms. Cheerilee asked, turning from the chalkboard.

“N-nothing…” I whispered, turning my eyes back down to the paper. Okay, okay, calm down. Just write anything. It doesn't matter; you're not coming back here anyway. But what if Twilight gets mad, though? What if the side effects don’t go away? Twilight said she was a baby when she was affected; I’m just a foal. Oh God… Do I have to go through pony puberty? Filly puberty?? What if that was it?! My voice cracked again, was that puberty? Calm down, calm down.

I tapped my pencil against the paper anxiously, trying to keep calm, when a sinking feeling hit my gut. I looked toward the pencil resting in my hoof, seemingly sticking to it. But I felt my fingers; I felt it tapping, but I didn’t have any. How was I—?

Wincing, I suddenly dropped the pencil, a strange pinching pain filling my chest. Cringing from the discomfort again, I realized the pinching coincided with the tapping sensation. What the heck was happening?!?

My chest rose and fell quickly as my breathing sped up. Shakily reaching for the pencil, I pressed my hoof against it, trying to pick it up, but it just sat there. I bumped it a few more times before it unexpectedly slipped and fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

My ears pinned back as I looked around the room at the glares and curious looks from my classmates. They were all staring, staring at me. Why were they looking? Stop it! Just stop!

“Stop it!!” I yelled, slamming my hooves onto the desk and squeezing my eyes shut. Breathing heavily, I slowly opened my eyes to find the kids staring at me with shocked expressions. Ms. Cheerilee looked surprised too as she walked over, worry etched on her face.

“Nyx, are you alright?” Ms. Cheerilee asked softly.

“I-I...” I cradled my aching hoof, my eyes darting around the room, taking in all the stares before forcing my gaze down. “No…”

“I’m sorry?” Ms. Cheerilee leaned closer, concern deepening in her voice.

I quickly dropped my head onto my desk, wrapping my arms around it to block everything out.

“...Okay, just take your time, Nyx. The school day is almost over,” Ms. Cheerilee replied gently, her hoofsteps receding.

I took deep breaths as my head throbbed behind my heated ears. I felt so… wrong. I shouldn't be here; I was a teenager! These were just kids. I shouldn’t be eating lunch or taking tests with them, that's weird! Why did I care about how they looked at me? What was wrong with me?

Sitting there under my arms, the bell rang. I peeked up to see what was happening, students were getting up and collecting their saddlebags. Thank goodness; the school day was over! I suddenly noticed the CMC walking over and buried my face in my arms once more.

“Hey, Nyx… Sorry about earlier. We shouldn’t have said anything about Diamond and Silver,” Sweetie Belle frowned.

“Yeah… You wouldn’t have gotten in a fight with her if we kept quiet,” Apple Bloom added, looking down and pawing at the floor.

“I don’t know; I kind of liked that Diamond got what was coming to her,” Scootaloo smirked but dropped it as the other two glared at her.

I chuckled softly, poking my head up from my arms. “...I shouldn't have done it. I… I struggle with my emotions, but that’s not an excuse,” I huffed, looking away.

“Well, we forgive ya, and even if you’re going home tomorrow, we should still be friends! Right, girls?” Apple Bloom smiled, looking at her friends.

“Yeah!” the two CMC members chimed in cheerfully.

A small smile crept onto my face as they offered their friendship, but it quickly faded as I remembered that it wouldn’t matter what I said. Apple Bloom was terrified of me in my normal body. Life would be easier if I were just this age, even if everything else sucked—no one recognized me as Nightmare Moon…

The girls frowned at my silence. Glancing at them, I decided to rip the bandage off. “It… wouldn’t work being friends. I’m never returning to Ponyville, and I live far, far away. You three should just forget I existed…” I turned away from them, not wanting to see their disappointment, but I could still feel it.

“Oh… okay… that makes sense, yeah…” Sweetie Belle frowned, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked at her friends, who wore the same sad expressions. They turned to walk away, glancing over their shoulders at me before leaving.

I sighed heavily, resting my cheek on the cool desk, which helped cool my warm face. Hopefully, Twilight would arrive quickly so we could get to the castle or home. My ear twitched at a familiar voice, and I glanced to the front of the class, my eyes widening when I saw Twilight and Ms. Cheerilee talking. Twilight’s expression changed to shock as she covered her mouth with her hoof, then shot me a stern look.

My ears pinned back, and my wings tightened against my body. The aching in my hoof increased, so I buried my face in the desk, gently banging it against the surface in frustration.

Twilight walked over, and I peeked over to see her towering over me, glaring. “Bags, now…” she commanded, her voice tight.

I slipped from my seat and grabbed my saddlebags without a word, struggling to get them over my back. Suddenly, they levitated in a violet glow and were placed on me a bit roughly. I shuffled forward, my head down as Twilight followed closely behind.

As we passed Ms. Cheerilee, I lifted my head slightly to look at her. “Bye, Ms. Cheerilee. Thank you for having me…” I said before dropping my gaze again and leaving. Once we were a distance from the schoolhouse, Twilight let out an agitated huff.

“You attacked a filly??” Twilight exclaimed.

“She threw applesauce at the back of my head!!” I argued, looking at her defiantly.

“She’s a child! And you’re apparently a grown adult!” Twilight shot back, disappointment etched across her face.

I frowned, hanging my head. “...I… I’m sorry. I...” My words tangled in my throat, and I felt small in front of her. Small wasn’t the right word; I felt… I don’t know.

Anger welled up inside me, anger at my inability to explain myself, at my own stupidity! The fact that Twilight was the reason I was in this mess only fueled my frustration. I glared up at her, my voice rising. “Why are you even yelling at me?! You sent me here! You should have known this would happen! I’m a mess! How would being near kids help?!”

Twilight’s glare deepened. “I thought you could handle yourself! I thought you were more mature than this! But no, you seem to invite trouble! Everything you do causes problems! Ever since you came here, it’s been one thing after another!” She spread her wings, making herself seem larger.

I stepped back, feeling my tail tuck between my legs as she grew more imposing, but no… I wasn’t going to be pushed around anymore! Gritting my teeth, I stepped forward toward her. “Ever since I got here?! Oh, that’s funny! How did I get here again, Twilight? Hm? Let’s think about what I was doing before anything happened” I cocked my head to the side with a sarcastic puzzled look “Oh, that’s right, dealing with a cold. And what were you doing?? That’s right, casting an unsafe spell in the ruins of the Two Sisters to try and summon Nightmare Moon?!”

Twilight blinked and took a step back. “I-I… It wasn't supposed to bring Nightmare Moon back…”

“Oh, it wasn’t supposed to? Well, that’s fine! As long as it wasn’t supposed to happen, everything’s okay! Nobody’s life was ruined from it! Oh wait, MINE WAS!!" I yelled, my voice dipping into the Canterlot Voice, pushing Twilight back.

My entire body felt hot, as though needles were prickling across my skin. I felt tight all over, wanting to stretch out, but I didn’t care. I was furious, furious at everything! I stomped toward her, slowly getting closer until I towered over her, snarling. I hadn’t even realized I had reverted back to my normal self until now. “You made me into this! You took everything I called a life and destroyed it! It hurt to become this! It hurt to see my parents scared of me, afraid for me! It hurt to see them desperately trying to keep me there before I was torn away and sent here!!”

“But it's fine since it wasn't supposed to happen!! You know how lucky you are that I'm not Nightmare Moon?! You know how fortunate you are that I still have no clue how to use magic?! I can literally feel how strong I am, not just in this body, no with that I could break the very stone beneath my hooves, my wings could blow a house down with ease, But it’s my magic that’s truly terrifying. I could turn this whole town to glass! I can feel it, there’s so much power within me that it frightens me! And yet you keep pushing me, thinking you’re stronger…” I growled, looking down at the purple mare as she cowered before me.

I turned away, stomping off, but paused to glance back at her. “...I used to look up to you. You were awkward, not used to making friends, and felt so different from everyone else. But that never stopped you from trying, learning… being better. I don’t know what happened to that pony…”

With those words hanging in the air, I walked away, not wanting to hear what she had to say.

Author's Note

Hello, I am back, sorry for the long absence, my only excuse is I hit hard writers block and really just didn't have any energy to write, but hopefully I can get more chapters out.

Also I Finally got around to drawing Blake,