Nyx Takes Charge

Chapters

1 A Royal Romance
2 The Eternal Triangle
3 Search and Rescue
4 Invasion Plans
5 The Final Assault
6 Counting the Cost

1 A Royal Romance

“Oh, confound it!” the midnight blue mare swore into the vastness of the night sky, slamming her forehooves down vengefully onto the Royal balcony, “Why dost thou refuse to perform even the most simple of tasks?”
She was going to continue her rant when she heard gentle hoofsteps approaching from behind and held her tongue, lest she offend whomsoever should be seeking her company.

“Hello, Princess Luna” greeted Nyx tentatively, “Is everything alright? You sounded pretty cross.”
“No, everything is fine” she lied, then after a short pause continued, “No, no it is not. We cannot make the special arrangement of stars that we desire. It is as if the very stars themselves are conspiring to thwart us.”
“Wow – did ponies really used to talk like that when you were young?” asked Nyx, fascinated by both the words and the volume they were propelled at.
“Yes, yes it was. At least it was so for Royalty.”

“So what’s got you so wound up, Princess?” she asked innocently.
“We are trying to make a special pattern in the sky comprising both Twilight’s and our Sister’s cutie marks in honour of their engagement. Whilst Twilight’s pattern forms easily, we cannot make our own Sister’s cutie mark appear, even with much concentration.”
“Can’t or won’t?” asked Nyx, “You love her too, right?”
Luna grew flustered and turned away, refusing to answer. Nyx followed and stood next to her, leaning gently in to comfort the one pony who was her nearest blood relative.

“It is true” Luna said at last, fresh silver tracks trickling from her eyes and running down her muzzle, “My Sister and I both love Twilight Sparkle. She rescued me from the evil of Nightmare Moon and restored my self-confidence. Without her, I could not have resumed my place as Princess alongside my Sister.”
Nyx listened spellbound to what amounted to a confession, too afraid to make a sound lest it interrupted her mentor. The anger spent, Luna’s voice was barely above a whisper and she had deserted her refuge of olde Canterlot to talk about her feelings in the first person.
“However” she continued, a sob of sadness sticking in her throat, “Celestia has a slick tongue and words have always come easy for her. She made her move whilst I was still working out what to say.”
Luna walked to the balustrade and folded her forelegs on it, then rested her muzzle on them and cried quietly.

Nyx felt awkward, never having seen her mentor so distressed and didn’t know the protocol to be followed. All she saw was a pony with nopony else to turn to and decided to ignore courtly procedures to wrap a wing over her and draw close enough to feel the gentle shudders as Luna cried over a love lost.

She looked up at the night sky and could see a spectacular six point pattern that was unmistakably the cutie mark of her adopted Mom, but this stood alone in its intricate beauty with nothing by its side. Despite her tender years, Nyx could see clearly what was wrong; Luna would have plastered the night sky with hundreds if not thousands of copies of this symbol and been reminded of her love for Twilight with every one, but could not bring herself to add the cutie mark of another, one who would take her away for all eternity.

Nyx had always viewed Luna as omnipotent and remembered the fear she had felt as she stood in judgement over her for her sins as Nightmare Moon. Now, she was the strong one as that same all powerful and ultimately wise pony was crumbling next to her, all for the lack of having been able to express her feelings.

Although Nyx professed openly to love both Royal sisters, she remembered with frightening clarity the way in which Celestia had taken her away from her mother, a crime which although forgiven, would never be forgotten. Luna on the other hoof had absolved her of her sins and as punishment merely ordered that Twilight look after her and bring her up. No, when the chips were down, she would always side with Luna; it wasn’t just that they shared the same blood, they also shared the same sense of right and wrong.

She wanted to say that she understood, but knew that would have sounded patronising from one so much younger and inexperienced, so simply drew herself in closer and felt the gentle sobs of Luna’s heart breaking. Nyx felt the same sadness ripple through her and fought no longer to withhold her own tears as an intricately crafted pattern of stars stood a watchful guard over them.

“Lulu” said the white mare having finished off the last piece of cake and rested her chin on her folded forelegs that formed a triangle on the table, “You roam the dream realm; do you think the ponies of Equestria are ready to see me take a Royal Princess as my bride, or do you think we should postpone the wedding until more enlightened times?”

Luna had an open goal to shoot at; all she had to say was “no”, but instead she could not submit to guile and answered truthfully that whilst most ponies would be accepting of such a match, corners of conservatism remained and although she would command majority approval, it would not be unanimous.
”So …” summarised Celestia, “That would be a yes then?”
“That is not quite what I said, Sister, “In my opinion there would still be a risk, but we are currently heading towards times of greater understanding rather than away from them” she confirmed, “Since you have conferred immortality upon her, then perhaps expediency is not the highest priority?”

“You say that ponies are now more accepting of loving relationships between two mares? Perhaps Royal patronage of such an institution may serve as encouragement to others?” proposed Celestia.
“Maybe. Either that or sow the seeds of division with you as its target.”
“We have faced rebellion before” confirmed Celestia, “But never over something as trivial as one’s choice of life partner.”
“It is nonetheless an highly emotive subject amongst those with deeply conservative convictions” cautioned Luna.
“You counsel delay then?”
“I can only report what I have witnessed, Sister.”

Celestia stopped for a moment and appeared to drift deep in thought.
“Whenever the day comes, Lulu, I want you to be a part of it; I don’t want you relegated to the sidelines on such a happy occasion. Whilst I believe the role of officiating the ceremony should go to Cadence as Princess of Love, I should like you to give me away to Twilight, you know, standing in for our dear father. Would you do that for me?”

Another piece of Luna’s heart froze and then shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Was it not bad enough simply to lose the mare of her dreams without having to be put into a position of responsibility to ensure that somepony else can have that pleasure? She baulked, the words sticking at a big lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. She tried to take a gentle breath, but this failed to ease her discomfort, and with her sister’s expectant eyes staring at her, awaiting a response, she nodded and found this freed up her voice just enough to squeeze out, “Thank you, Sister.”
“Are you alright, Lulu?” asked her sister, concerned.
“Just overcome by your generosity, Tia” she lied.
“Oh thank you!” cheered Celestia, clapping her forehooves together with a bright smile on her face.

With Celestia’s scheduled Royal engagements beginning to press, both Princesses rose from the table and Celestia nuzzled her sister, saying softly, “Thank you, Lulu. You really are the best sister and best friend anypony could have.”
As her sister departed to address her responsibilities, Luna left the dining hall to head for her apartments, maintaining her regal dignity and poise. It was only when she had closed the door and knew she was alone that her composure broke and she threw herself onto her bed, clutching at the bedding and allowing the pent up cries of anguish to be released. She would not be sleeping well today.

Come their evening meal, Luna met with her sister for their usual transfer of the watch, but all Celestia wanted to do was talk about her plans for the wedding, oblivious to the hurt she was causing. Luna listened patiently and provided honest comment when it was requested, but only felt her heart shrivelling as the one-sided conversation dragged on. She wanted her sister to talk about something else, anything else, but she was so clearly infatuated, Luna just didn’t have the heart to shut her down.

By the time Celestia’s ramblings had drawn to a close, Luna felt as tired as if she had been fighting a magic duel, and lost; she was exhausted and emotionally drained, but maintained her calm outward appearance. They nuzzled affectionately and went their separate ways, Luna walking out onto the Royal balcony to paint the night sky.

“Hello Princess” greeted a friendly young voice she instantly recognised, “How has it been today?”
“Nothing I cannot handle” she replied sadly.
Nyx looked up at the stars and tilted her head to one side, then back again.
“May I be open with you?” she asked cautiously.
“Yes, yes of course you may” Luna replied.
“The stars don’t seem so bright tonight, or is it me?”
“You are the only one who would notice” sighed Luna dejectedly.
“Well, that’s not quite true” came another familiar voice that made Luna gasp as she spun around to face the pony who had spoken.
“Twilight! What are you doing here?” she spluttered.
“Oh, I had noticed a few changes in the night sky recently and felt I owed you a visit” she said, moving towards Luna and raising her head for a nuzzle.
“How … how much did you see?” asked Luna nervously.
“Enough.”

Luna looked crestfallen. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but I have failed you, both of you” she sobbed.
“Hey, there’s no need for that” reassured Twilight, “I’ve seen you perform some pretty amazing artwork before and I’m sure you will be able to achieve whatever it is you want to, given time.”
Luna covered her muzzle, too ashamed to show herself and turned away.
“Whatever is the matter?” asked Twilight, taken aback by her response, “We’re friends, and if there’s anything I know about, it’s friendship magic.”
“I cannot tell you” she whispered.

“Princess” whispered Nyx, moving in to comfort her, “Do you think now might be a good time to be honest with my Mom?”
“How can I?” she wailed, “She would never forgive me, and my Sister would be distraught!”
“And you aren’t?” asked Nyx, “You’ve got to get this into the open.”
“I cannot! My Sister has set her heart and it would be wrong for me to interfere!”
“Set her heart on what?” asked Twilight gently.

As Luna turned her head to look at two of her closest and dearest friends, they could both plainly see the silver tracks of fresh tears on her muzzle.
“I want to be alone! Do not follow me – please!” and at this, Luna sprang into the air and beat her wings hard, leaving the Princess of Friendship and her adopted daughter staring at each other open mouthed.

“Nyx, tell me everything you know" demanded Twilight, "What exactly is going on here?”
The black alicorn looked up reluctantly at her Mom, not knowing what to say.
“It’s kinda personal …”
“That isn’t the point! Princess Luna is terribly unhappy and I’m the Princess of Friendship, so I should be the one to go sort things out. Look, I don’t want to labour the point, but remember how badly she reacted a thousand years ago – we don’t want her feeling so upset that she does anything like that again.”
“Yes, but …”
“Nyx, this isn’t the time for games!” glowered Twilight, looming large over her daughter.
“Promise you won’t be mad …”
“Nyx, please!” said Twilight doing her best to put on a calm face.
“It’s to do with you.”

Twilight froze.

What had she done that Nyx knew about, but nopony had told her? She felt a pit opening up in her stomach, a horrible yawning feeling like she was at the centre of something and she was the last to know.
“I’m sorry” Twilight apologised softly, laying down so as to appear less threatening, “I overreacted. Now let’s talk about this, can we?”

An uneasy silence fell between them and Twilight waited as patiently as she could, seeing Nyx trying to phrase the right way to start. The fact that she was taking so long just heightened her fears as to what it could possibly be. Her mind floated around all manner of things she could have done wrong, but the thought she clung to most was the possibility that she had forgotten to return one of Luna’s special books, which she recognised, was pretty serious.

“Um, Mom…” Nyx started carefully, “You know how Princess Celestia likes you …?”
Twilight nodded. She remembered clearly Celestia proposing to her; it was one of the happiest moments in her life.
“Well …” continued Nyx slowly, “There may be another who wants to be your special somepony …”
Twilight nodded again. She was Princess of Friendship and was used to getting plenty of offers on Hearts and Hooves day, so this wasn’t news. She smiled sweetly as Nyx just looked increasingly awkward.

“You don’t get it do you?” Nyx blurted in frustration.
“Don’t get what?” she answered, perplexed.
“Princess Luna is in love with you too!”

Twilight froze, her eyes growing wide.

“Oh, no, no, no!” she fretted, “This can’t be! You must be mistaken! You’re too young, you can’t understand …” Then the realisation hit her.
“Oh no …” she groaned, burying her muzzle in her crossed forelegs.
“Sorry, Mom” said Nyx apologetically, “You mean you didn’t know?”
Twilight didn’t answer, but just groaned louder and then began to cry.

Nyx moved up close to her and extended her wing, remembering that she had done the same to comfort Luna only the night before. Tonight was worse even than the heart wrenching spectacle of watching Princess Luna implode; this was the one pony who had always unquestioningly been there for her, the only one who had stood against the crowd to bring her failing body back to receive life-saving medical attention after the battle to reclaim Ponyville from the monsters of the Everfree.

This was her Mom and she was not going to desert her now.

2 The Eternal Triangle

Mother and daughter held each other close through a night that seemed to be both without pity and without end.

Twilight felt awful. She had accepted Celestia’s proposal unquestioningly believing that she had gained the approval of her sister, but even if she had, such an answer had not been born of honesty, but from the desire to see her big sister happy even though that meant not just a lifetime, but an eternity of unhappiness for herself. She did not consider herself worth the two sisters becoming bitter rivals for her attentions, and was clear in her own mind that Luna should not have to sacrifice herself for her sister’s happiness. It was all a dreadful mess and she could see no way out without hurting one or both of the sisters, both of whom she loved dearly.

A gentle clip clopping of horseshoes approached from the castle. Few ponies were allowed on the Royal balcony, so this could only be somepony arriving to raise the sun, somepony neither felt ready to face at the moment.
“Twilight?” asked the familiar silky soft voice, “Nyx?”
Twilight heard the worried tones of her beloved Celestia, and a big lump rose in her throat. She wanted to fly away, just as Luna had done, but knew that if she did, then Nyx would be left to explain what had happened and she couldn’t allow that; it was her own mess and she couldn’t pitch somepony else to take the grief that would undoubtedly follow.

Nyx got up, feeling the cramp in her legs where she had been lain down all-night and stood between the two betrothed alicorns, adopting an assertive stance as Celestia approached.
“Nyx?” she enquired softly, looking down at her, “Whatever’s the matter?”
“My Mom needs some space at the moment” she replied a little stiffly, “She will talk when she is ready.”

Celestia moved to manoeuvre past her, but Nyx shifted to block her way, looking even more resolute.
“Nyx, I do not know what has happened, but I should like to comfort my Twilight …”
“She’s not your Twilight” interrupted Nyx, “She’s my Mom.”
Celestia had crushed more powerful ponies for far less, but did not push her request. Something was clearly badly wrong, and she recognised that antagonising Twilight’s daughter was unlikely to be a good move.

“Have you seen my sister?” she asked, changing subject into what she had come out for in the first place.
“She flew away” replied Nyx honestly.
Celestia looked startled at the revelation and then enquired, “Do you know when she will be back?”
“I’m sorry Princess, I don’t” she replied.
Celestia was quiet for a moment and then asked, “Nyx, would you be prepared to lower the moon please? The day is already late starting.”
“I could, but don’t you think you should give Princess Luna a chance first? She may be preparing to do it from wherever she is right now.”
“I can’t, Nyx. We’re already a half hour late – we owe it to the ponies of Equestria to allow them to start their day. I’m sorry to ask.”
Nyx pondered the request. Celestia was right; whilst it was her personal duty to raise the sun, it was equally Luna’s duty to lower the moon, and while Nyx could do it for her, she nonetheless felt a sense of betrayal in undertaking the duty herself without her mentor’s express consent.

Celestia sensed her inner conflict and backed up, as she could tell that invading her personal space would be unlikely to improve matters. She reminded herself that although Nyx looked younger than the other Princesses and indeed she was, but she had already been a full grown alicorn and run Equestria by herself as Nightmare Moon, and was blessed with all the power that being an alicorn entailed. Nyx was also the only one who could explain what had happened to both her sister and her betrothed, and whilst she was impatient to find out what had happened, appreciated all too clearly that she needed to play a waiting game.

Nyx reached up to the moon and lowered it gently to its slumber, watching the stars twinkle out one by one as they made way for the warm glow forming in the east. Celestia watched Nyx closely out of the corner of her eye, desperately seeking to read her, but without being seen doing it.

Once the sun had begun to climb its way up into the sky, Celestia turned to Nyx. She wanted to go straight to Twilight, but she had already been made aware that Nyx was acting as her gatekeeper, and although she could have pulled rank by virtue of being Sun Princess, thought better of it, especially as she was aiming to be her stepmother. Still, something horrible gnawed away at her inside and she was anxious to help in any way she could.

“Nyx, can you tell me what’s happened, please?”
Nyx looked straight back at her and thought carefully before answering, “I think it’s better coming from my Mom” before adding, “Sorry, Princess.”
Celestia was not used to being denied, and fought to suppress the frown that she knew was threatening to spread across her face and ruin her composure.

“Very well” she replied, “But I think it would be better sooner rather than later because I am worried what has happened to my sister.”
“I … I will try to explain” said Twilight, lifting her tear soaked muzzle. She had been crying all night, and it showed. Celestia’s immediate response was born of concern for anypony who looked so desperately sad, let alone Twilight and she rushed to her side.
“Twilight, my darling” she fussed, “What can be so badly wrong?”

“It’s all my fault” sobbed Twilight, desperate to cry, but finding it impossible as she had run out of tears hours before.
Celestia moved to wrap a protective wing over her, but she gently pushed it back and inched away, feeling no longer worthy of her love.
“Come, you can’t stay out here” coaxed Celestia, “Come inside with me, won’t you?”
Reluctantly, Twilight had to agree and struggled to hoist herself onto her forelegs, her back unenthusiastically dragging her hindlegs up to accept her weight once more.

Celestia was alert to the warning signs from both Twilight and Nyx’s body language to know to keep a respectful distance and allow Twilight to make her way inside without fussing over her. In the dining room, breakfast had been set for Celestia and dinner for Luna, but this well-established routine was being broken for the first time since Luna had returned from her exile in the moon.

Celestia ordered coffee, black coffee for both of them and paid no attention as a waiter disappeared to relay the order to the kitchen staff. The couple sat at table, half a pony’s width between them, but for Celestia it was a gulf as wide as the Equestrian Sea. Twilight sat in silence, face downcast as the waiter returned and placed a cup of the finest china in front of her, the dark brown contents steaming obliviously.

After a few minutes of unnatural silence during which Twilight did not move a muscle, she reached out and picked up the cup, turned towards Celestia, but couldn’t bring herself to look her in the eye. She took a sip and lifted her head slowly until she caught a glimpse of her mentor’s concerned lilac eyes through the tousled mat of her fringe.
“I can’t go through with it. I’m so, so, sorry.”
“Go through with what?” whispered Celestia hoarsely, fearing the worst but still praying she was mistaken.
“I have always looked up to you as the kindest pony in Equestria; my tutor, my guide and my lover, but I just wish none of this had ever happened. I am so much less than you, so much less than you will ever be and you deserve better than me …”

“What has happened since last night, Twilight?” asked Celestia, the pit in her stomach now a yawning chasm waiting to swallow her whole and bury her under the entire guilt of Equestria.
“You have a relationship far more important than with me, Celestia, and that is with your sister. For the good of both of you and the good of Equestria, I have to refuse you.”
“You mean …?”
“Yes, Celestia, I’m sorry but I believe Luna loves me too, and I must not ever come between you. I’m so, so, sorry; if I had known sooner I would never have accepted your offer and led you on.”

A large ball formed in Celestia’s throat. Could this be true? If so, why hadn’t Luna said something?
The sincerity in Twilight’s voice told her she was telling the truth and she slumped down, suddenly feeling her full age, her world collapsing around her. She wanted to speak, but couldn’t; instead she just stared straight ahead, a glassy faraway look in her eyes.
“Don’t be cross with her, please Princess” begged Twilight, “None of this is her fault.”
Celestia barely recognised that she had spoken. She just stared straight ahead into the middle distance where there was nothing, a place she now wanted to live forever.

Nyx watched the whole sorry saga play out in front of her. She had been there to protect her Mom and played her part well, but had not expected to see the Sun Princess deflate so completely at her words. Even though she could never entirely trust her, given her past actions, Nyx couldn’t but help feeling a little sympathy for Celestia.

She cast her eye over the two Princesses in front of her; one with her chin on the table staring straight ahead and the other with her head in her forehooves, and realised that aside from Cadence who was faraway in the Crystal Empire, that she was now the most senior alicorn in Equestria. She knew what she had to do and left word with the Maître d’ who bowed deeply and wished her a safe and fruitful journey before leaving the dining room to disseminate her message; she was going after Princess Luna.

Nyx stepped out onto the balcony, feeling the warming rays of early morning sun on her fur and fluttered her feathers to prepare them for flight. She forced herself into a light trance and focused on her livery collar, which through the moon, connected to Luna’s livery collar. Although the moon had passed out of the sky, it had sensed unease betwixt its mistresses and had been unable to rest, so was able to respond, although weakly. Had it been night and the moon high in the sky, then it would have been able to direct her to the Princess, but given that the sun was currently in the ascendant, its power was weak. It was prepared to do what it could, but its power was fading as the sun took control of the sky.

There was no time to lose, so she sprang into the air and headed east on the assumption that she would have most likely headed out over the unpopulated Badlands, just to make sure she did not have to meet any other pony. It was a gamble, but it seemed to make sense and she prayed she was right.

She left the waking metropolis of Canterlot behind, none of those she had seen innocently milling about on the streets she had passed over having any idea of the crisis that was unfolding; a crisis that only she was in a position to resolve. The responsibility weighed heavily on her as she cleared the sprawling suburbs and passed over the few last outlying farms, and into desolation, the further she went, the more she came to realise what a large area she had to cover to have any chance of finding Princess Luna.

Nyx reached out to her livery collar, feeling for some indication that she was on the right track, but had no idea what to expect; would it glow, would it pulsate or perhaps even vibrate? She knew only that it would give her some sign, and she just hoped she would recognise it when it came. Below, the scenery was barren and repetitive, affording precious little in the way of landmarks, just mile after mile of inhospitable terrain counterpointing the hopelessness of her quest.

The morning wore on without success and so Nyx turned south before turning back west, flying a grid pattern to cover most ground. Once the sun was getting near to being overhead, she realised that any influence the moon may have had was now gone and that without its help, further searching was pointless. She gave a deep sigh and resigned herself to resting until evening, looking around for a cloud to land on.

With her focus shifted away from further searching for the time being, she alighted gently on a soft looking white puffy cloud that took her eye. With the weight finally off her wings, she suddenly felt very tired, which coupled with having been up all night and the emotional toll of the night’s events had left her exhausted.

She wrapped herself up in the seductive softness of the cloud and closed her eyes.

3 Search and Rescue

Luna lay in the dank cave, oblivious to the damp discomfort her refuge afforded. She cursed herself for not having had the courage to tell Twilight about her feelings sooner. She cursed the misfortune of it being her sister of all ponies to be the one to gain Twilight’s affections; the two ponies she cared most about being in an unsolvable love triangle. She had read of such things in the romance section of the Royal library when she thought nopony was watching her, but never considered this would be her fate.

She lay in the dampness and cursed her very existence, wishing in large parts that she had never comeback from the moon.
“Perhaps it would be better if I never went back?” she thought, “Ever.”
Her melancholy seemed to permeate her very surroundings, which magnified it and reflected it back to her, deepening her despair in an ever darkening spiral.

“Twilight will marry my Sister, and Nyx will take on my duties” her train of thought continued, “Nopony will miss me. All I have ever done is bring unhappiness.”
Her stomach rumbled, but she paid it no heed, only cursing the immortality that denied her an early release to her sadness.

Nyx awoke feeling a light chill and opened her eyes to see the sun hovering just above the horizon, clearly waiting for Celestia or her Mom to lower it so Luna could raise the moon. Suddenly she remembered what had led to her being on this cloud somewhere over the Badlands in the first place and realised that neither of the ponies capable of lowering the sun would likely be in the mood to do it, and also if the moon was going to rise then it would be down to nopony but her.

If she was going to use the moon to help find Luna, then she had to lower the sun first, so she focused hard and tried to draw it down. The sun sensed her, but it was like the two of them were trying to converse in different languages, and try as she might, the sun was not going to set for her. She reasoned, she pleaded and she begged, but although sympathetic to her, it would not take that one final step to leave the sky clear for the moon. Nyx hung her head in defeat; she would just have to manage as best she could.

Next, she reached out to the moon that was impatient to rise and felt it respond eagerly to her touch, but it stopped just below the horizon, unable to proceed any further with the sun in the way. She still tried to coax it to rise further, but the sun still held sway over the sky and the magic was just too strong for her to overcome.

She slammed her forehooves down in frustration and they sank harmlessly through the cloud, denying her even the smallest sense of satisfaction from a good stomp. She growled in her exasperation, but knew things wouldn’t get any better, so nosed over the cloud and fell for a short distance before deploying her wings and resuming her search, picking up the grid pattern from where she had left off.

Nyx flew long straight lines to the east away from the sun and then back again to the west, moving southwards with each sweep, the barren desolation unfolding beneath her affording no respite and yielding no clues. She could see paths of dried up river beds and even the occasional canyon, but everywhere the casually scattered debris of rocks and never anything remotely hospitable.

She flew for hours, her wings aching and her stomach crying out to eat while her parched throat demanded water, if only a few drops. There was nothing to mark the passage of time, just an eternal unending sunset, a scene that under any other circumstances would have been exquisitely beautiful, but now merely served to highlight the emotional wreckage that had claimed the three most powerful Princesses in Equestria.

Nyx had never been in love, and based upon the corrosive effect she had seen it have on three such respected and level-headed ponies, decided there and then that it was a curse she never wanted to experience for herself.

Progressively she became aware of a warm sensation on her neck and looked down to see her livery collar glowing faintly. This could not have been an accident; she knew it meant only one thing and offered thanks to the moon for its steadfast help. She continued on until she felt the warmth abate and then changed her heading trying to recapture the sensation, homing in bit at a time on her own flesh and blood.

She found herself being guided down into a tributary off an established canyon that hadn’t seen water in centuries, if not longer. The narrow crag seemed to offer no useful features and Nyx was about to lose heart when she saw the entrance to a cave, half way up the cliff face, clearly at a height where it had once been hewn out by fast moving waters sometime before ponies had learned to record things, if not before ponies altogether.

Landing at the mouth of the dark and uninviting cave, Nyx cancelled the spell on her livery collar as it was now glowing uncomfortably. She took a final look behind her and then a deep breath before steeling the courage to set hoof into the darkness.
“Hello?” she called tentatively as she ventured forward, her eyes struggling to adjust.
She shivered in the unexpected cold, but heard nothing except for the faint dripping of water coming from somewhere further inside.
“Hello?” she ventured again.
“Go away and leave me be” came a reply.
Nyx was elated, but her sense of achievement quickly dissipated in the dank and uninviting gloom that clung to her.

The faintest hint of blue greeted her straining eyes, the dull remnants of the once lustrous mane and tail of the fabled Princess of the Night. As her eyes adjusted better, she could make out which way round Luna lay and tiptoed towards her to lie down at her side.
“Please, leave me be” the lovelorn Princess cried self-piteously, “I just want to die.”
Nyx extended a wing over her clammy body and snuggled in closer, trying to share some rejuvenating warmth.

“Why do you persist so?” she moaned.
“I’m so happy I found you” whispered Nyx softly.
“No, no, no” sighed Luna, “My life would be over were it not for this cursed immortality. I do not want to go back; ever.”
“Then I’ll just have to stay with you” whispered Nyx, nuzzling her neck.
“No. I cannot allow it. You have your whole life ahead and Equestria will need you to raise the moon.”
“I may be able to raise the moon, but I am not the beloved Princess Luna.”
“Neither am I anymore. I am only an inconvenience to my Sister’s happiness, the evil Mare in the Moon that foals run away from on Nightmare Night.”
“No, Princess, you’re wrong. They’re all worried about you and they all miss you. If you won’t go back, then neither will I, and Equestria will bake under eternal day” said Nyx defiantly, snuggling closer and starting to feel some warmth return to her Princess, “I’m not leaving without you. I’ll never leave you.”

Luna shuddered as more tears fell, not tears of self-pity this time, but love for this brave young pony, whose sincerity was beyond doubt. She felt her closeness and her love, and for the first time in days felt truly valued.
“You must go back and prevent such a fate befalling Equestria” instructed Luna, regaining her composure, “The land cannot survive without the rejuvenation of night. Just do not tell anypony where I am.”
“No Princess” stated Nyx firmly, “It’s both of us, or neither of us.”
Luna reached out and gave Nyx a hug, her tears shining like sparkling diamonds on the young mare’s coat.

A rumbling sound interrupted the moment and Nyx apologised, suddenly realising how long it was since she had last eaten anything.
“We must get you back” confirmed Luna, “I cannot allow you to starve on my account.”
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough” Nyx lied, “I’m feeling weak because I haven’t eaten, and I have flown such a long way to find you. If you don’t come with me, I may not make it. Please would you come with me?”

Luna felt the furthest corners of her mouth beginning to lift at the obvious ruse, but if there were even the slightest chance that Nyx could be lost, then she did not want that on her eternal conscience, but still the thought of returning to her sister and Twilight Sparkle made the prospect most unpalatable. She pondered hard before realising that no matter how bad she may have felt herself, her duty was to safeguard Nyx; if nothing else so she could raise the moon while Luna retreated from the world for however long that would be.

Slowly, reluctantly, Luna raised herself up onto her forelegs and forced her hind quarters to comply, shaking the damp off as she rose.
“You would make a shrewd politician, Nyx” she commented, “You are far too clever a student of your adversary.”
Nyx smiled joyfully at the sight of Luna standing once more. The mane and tail may have been dull and lifeless, but still she carried herself with an unmistakeable regal poise that Nyx had always admired.

Luna emerged from the cave mouth and looked down at the deep shadows that sprawled across the canyon below and then frowned disapprovingly at the sight of the sun hovering expectantly just above the horizon.
“It appears that my Sister is waiting to lower the sun” she observed.
“No, I don’t think so” commented Nyx, “It’s been like that for some time now and I can’t get the moon past it.”
“Most odd. We should investigate further.”
Nyx smiled at the first signs of positivity flowing back into Princess Luna and followed her as she sprang off the ledge at the mouth of the cave and set course back to Canterlot.

They flew for hours, their tired wings straining to carry them back over the relentless inhospitality of the Badlands, but as they neared their destination, something was wrong; it was like there was a big black storm cloud over the city. Nyx gestured for them to land on a nearby cloud with a good vantage point and Luna nodded her approval, the two of them making one last steep climb to their lookout post. They landed and gently shook their wings into a comfortable furled position and lay down to watch.

From their secluded position they could both now see that it looked as if myriad tiny black flies were feasting on the remains of a giant rotting carcass.
“That doesn’t look good” gasped Nyx, struggling to comprehend what was happening.
“Changelings” muttered Luna under her breath.
Nyx looked at her questioningly.

“Do you recall the stories of Queen Chrysalis’ attempted invasion during Princess Cadence’s wedding? “
Nyx nodded.
“Reports attest to their having attacked in a swarm, just like this.”
“We have to go and help fight them off!”
“There is a garrison each of Royal Guard and Night Guard to do that. No, we must protect Twilight and my Sister from falling into Queen Chrysalis’ hooves. But in so doing, we must be careful to recognise that we too are high value assets and must not allow ourselves to be caught.”

“There is a secret entrance to the castle that was once used by the serving staff" suggested Nyx, "It’s really just a covered walkway that leads to the waterfall. They used to walk along it and dump all the waste from the castle over the edge before proper mains drainage was installed, but nopony uses it anymore. It’s so grown over now that you can’t see it unless you know it’s there.”
“How did you find out about it?”
“I’m inquisitive” replied Nyx, with a wry smile, “I bet I know Canterlot Castle about as well as you know the Castle of the Two Sisters.”
Luna cracked the first smile Nyx had seen since having found her, “Do you think we may be able to approach without being seen?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“You lead, as you know the way” Luna deferred, recognising the need to protect her fellow Princesses, but at the same time dreading their meeting.
Nyx nodded, her deceptively young persona sliding imperceptibly to reveal the face of a leader.

Luna nodded her ascent and they both slipped off their cloud together, gliding down away from the city until they intercepted the river and flew along together by its side, sheltered from the prying eyes of the changeling swarm under the protection of overhanging trees.

4 Invasion Plans

They followed the meandering course of the river to the left and back again to the right as it carved through the verdant countryside. Finally they emerged at the splash pool of a majestic waterfall, the constant crashing roar denying them any chance of hearing anything else. Nyx gestured upwards with her forehoof and climbed vertically until she reached the top and peered tentatively over the cliff.

Fortunately there were no changeling guards posted anywhere near, but she was suddenly struck by the constant drone of the swarm’s wings as their massive aerial armada anchored over Equestria’s capital city. She paused for a moment to watch as she could make out individuals hovering and then diving down, their places immediately taken by others flying back up as they took turns, presumably feeding off the love of ponies down below. The thought sickened her, and she quickly located the concealed entrance, signalling to Luna as she launched herself over the edge and made for the start of the passageway. Nyx ran over and opened it quickly, holding back the curtain of creepers and assorted weeds that concealed it so effectively. Luna took her cue and flashed past her, just as Nyx reached back to close the access behind them.

“Well done Nyx” congratulated Luna, “I do not believe we were seen.”
“No, but seeing how many of those creatures were up there, I don’t think we should hang around.”
Luna snorted and nodded assertively as Nyx lit her horn and charged off down the passageway as she followed in hot pursuit.

They found themselves at a sturdy wooden door that looked like it hadn’t been used in centuries, which other than for Nyx, was probably true.
“OK, Princess” said Nyx, “The other side of this is the old laundry; it’s a storeroom now. To the right are more storerooms leading to the servants quarters, and to the left are the kitchens. Do you want to take over now or shall I go first?”
“If they have not already been captured” pondered Luna, “They will probably be in either the throne room or my Sister’s apartments.”
“Which is the best to defend?” asked Nyx.
“The throne room” confirmed Luna, “The Royal apartments have balconies and large glass doors.”
Nyx nodded, stepping aside and deferring to Luna’s seniority. She moved forward and gently lifted the latch in her magic, opening the door and sliding through the gap once it was just wide enough to accept her with Nyx in tow.

The sound of fighting echoed along even these corridors that were so deep down in the castle, counterpointed by occasional pony screams and whinnies. The sound of ponies suffering seemed to galvanise Luna and her pace quickened, taking to the air, her wingtips even at full stretch just clearing the walls. Nyx watched spellbound as Luna powered her way along corridors clearly not approved for flight, skidding on her wingtips as she took blind corners way too fast, oblivious to the consequences of crashing into anypony or anything in her way.

They quickly approached the throne room, counting at least two dozen guards on the door. Nyx had never seen such security in the castle before and gasped as Luna backwinged furiously before she could knock them all down like skittles. However, none of the guards flinched, but raised their weapons, all clearly intent on protecting those inside the throne room to the death.
“Your Majesty, we are under changeling attack” announced the Master at Arms, “Confirm who you are please.”
“How shall I satisfy you that I am not a changeling?”
“The name of your pet, if you please, your Majesty” he demanded politely, pointing his pole arm directly at her and leaving her in no doubt of his intentions should she answer incorrectly.
“Tiberius” she answered levelly.
He smiled and all the guards present relaxed visibly.
“Thank goodness you’re here, your Majesty” he greeted, bowing before her, “Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight have not issued a single command and we dearly need your leadership if we are to prevail this day.”
The guards parted and two of them opened the large doors allowing the alicorns inside, closing it again firmly after them.

“Nyx” pleaded Luna, her self-confidence evaporating, “I need you to take the lead once more; I … I cannot face either of them. I am sorry.”
“No problem, Princess” she replied, moving forward confidently, “I got this.”
Nyx felt compelled to show reverence in such a venerated place and advanced slowly along the rich maroon carpet towards the thrones as if seeking an audience. The crash of a piece of masonry flying in through one of the stained glass windows snapped her from her reverie. Suddenly it dawned on her that this was no time for observing elaborate etiquette with the changelings clearly intent on pushing home their attack. She immediately launched herself into the air and skimmed around the room, finding a sorrowful white mare curled up behind her throne and her heartbroken Mom in a dark alcove.

She landed next to the lilac pony and hugged her.
“Go away” croaked the forlorn figure sadly.
“No. You have always stood by me; now it’s my turn to stand by you.”
“Please leave me Nyx. I’m not the pony you believe me to be. Equestria is falling and it’s all my fault.”

Nyx tried to reason with her, but it was futile. It was also not like her Mom to surrender to her feelings when ponies were at risk, so she stood back and focused the energy in her horn into casting a spell to help her suppress her emotions and think clearly. There was a flash as she let the spell go, but then she stared in disbelief; her Mom was surrounded by a green aura!
“What …?” she gasped, stepping backwards in shock, “What’s happened to you, Mom?”
Twilight merely swiped a forehoof in her direction as if swatting an imaginary fly and returned to wallowing in her self-pity.
Nyx lit her horn again and this time, probed the alien magic, feeling it and getting to understand what it was. She muttered something indecipherable under her breath and then shouted, “Princess Luna, I need you here now!”
Her request echoed round the room and was answered by a meek refusal.

Quickly, Nyx span on her heels and flew back to the opposite end of the throne room where she skidded to a halt on the marble floor just in front of the Midnight Princess.
“Princess Luna, there is a curse on my Mom and I’m willing to bet there’s a similar one on you and Princess Celestia too! Quick, let me check you over!”
Luna did not argue, and Nyx repeated the same spell on her as she had on her Mom.
“You’re the same!” she announced triumphantly, ”It seems to be a spell that heightens the desire for love and feeds off the love it receives, so the more it gets, the more it wants, but it also seems to work with the denial of love, driving you to emotional desperation. It’s cruel, but very effective.”
“Unrequited love” said Luna.
“Precisely! You and Princess Celestia both fell in love with my Mom. You were the more reserved, so haven’t been as badly affected, but the other two fell in love way too deeply, way too quickly and then both had their hearts broken. We must lift this curse from all three of you; can you help please?”
“A green aura, you say?” enquired Luna.
“Yes, a kind of yellowy-green. Why?”
“Chrysalis!” Luna swore under her breath, “This has all been engineered by her as a plot to invade Canterlot. With the Princesses out of the way, she knew the ponies would be unable to defend themselves.”
“The guards need to see an alicorn to rally them. I am the only one who can do that right now” stated Nyx, “Can you lift the spell by yourself?”
“Not while I am cursed myself, no.”
“Very well” said Nyx, “I shall make myself everywhere at once.”
Her horn began to glow and as Luna watched, she saw Nyx divide into an army of clones, just as she had done when she had protected Ponyville from the monsters of the Everfree.
“I recall your telling me of this trick, but never thought I should see it with my own eyes” gasped Luna, “Be careful Nyx, remember how vulnerable you are now.”
The small army of black alicorns in front of her thanked her, and while three remained in the throne room, the others made their way out to join the battle by flying up to the broken window; trying to explain to the guards that multiple copies of the same pony was nothing to do with changelings would have been so much more difficult.

Those that had chosen to remain settled down closely with their respective patients and cast a spell to send each of them to sleep. Twilight was the first to succumb and once Nyx was sure she was asleep, began a meditation that enabled her to transcend into the dream realm too. She arrived to see only one dream bubble anywhere around, which was hardly surprising considering that the castle was under attack and everypony within it was engaged in fighting off the changelings.

The bubble was coated in an opaque yellowy-green film that swirled mercurially around the surface. Although she couldn’t see inside, it was evident that this was her goal and she lit her horn, reaching out to the contaminated surface.

Immediately, all the green migrated to the spot where her magic had touched it and started glowing angrily. She stopped and watched as the surface gradually began to return to a less inflamed state, running through a list of banishment and other anti-magic spells she knew.

Far away, on a different plane where a battle raged, somepony took notice. Just like a hoof accidentally catching on a concealed tripwire, a warning had been sent to the caster of the spell and in response a pair of holed blue gossamer wings buzzed into life and a command was issued.

Oblivious to events escalating on the plane she had left behind, Nyx lit her horn again and fired off the first of her spells, focusing hard on the magic. Once she had cast the spell, she quickly risked a peek and saw that the bubble was glowing an even more menacing colour than before. Without delay she tried another spell and another, but nothing seemed to work.

She had one last weapon left and that was to fire raw magical energy at it, but knew that whilst this would probably work, the damage it could cause to her Mom inside may be catastrophic, and it was not a chance she was prepared to take. By now, all three Nyx clones were reaching the same conclusion and looked to each other across the dreamscape, each hoping that one of the others had a better idea. They didn’t.

5 The Final Assault

In the skies over Canterlot, the random unchoreographed feeding frenzy took on a sinister new focus as Queen Chrysalis suddenly decided to regroup in preparation for an all-out assault on the castle where she suspected the Princesses would be. Her initial priority had been to allow her changelings to feed following a long period without the love they needed to survive, and had stood back while they all took turns to take their fill, but now she felt that somepony with powerful magic was on to her and had to act before the Princesses could be restored.

The guards on duty at the Royal Castle blanched at the sight of changeling hordes forming into attack waves in front of them. Each was scared, but none was prepared to show any fear as they all stood firm, waiting for the attack to begin and the inevitable defeat that was bound to follow. They had all sworn an oath to protect the Princesses and each would carry out that duty until the end irrespective of the personal cost each would suffer. Even a casual glance at the sky told them that they were outnumbered, not just by a narrow margin, but overwhelming odds. Each guard knew that they were looking into the black heart of their destiny and this was the end for them.

High above, some dark alicorns were scything through their massing ranks, firing their horns and bringing down dozens of changelings, but although their successes were impressive, hundreds more were taking their place. Sure, these black ponies were buying some time, but the sheer arithmetic of their fight confirmed that the most they could hope to win was a slight delay.

One guard broke the stoic silence and began to cheer on the brave black ponies and soon all the guards; Royal Guards and Night Guard alike were all chanting, “Nyx! Nyx! Nyx!”

As the changeling army finished massing for their attack, one came to the forefront to lead the assault. She was bigger than the others and known to all present.

The chanting stopped as the guards all recognised who they were facing.

Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had beaten her before, but they weren’t here now. The guards raised their weapons and braced themselves.

The three Nyxes in the dream realm stared at the sickly yellow-green coating covering the dream bubbles, all sharing the same perplexed look on their faces. There had to be a way of freeing the Princesses from this love curse, but none could think of it. There were three of them, but as each was a clone of the others, all were having broadly the same thoughts at the same time; it wasn’t as if any had anything to offer over her colleagues.

“Girls” said one turning to the others, “I know this sounds crazy, but I talk to myself when I’ve got a difficult problem. Maybe if we try and look at this together it will be a bit like that, I mean, anything’s worth a try, right?”
The other two nodded their approval and grouped together to thrash out the problem.
“Queen Chrysalis has somehow cast a spell on the Princesses that makes them fall in love …”
“A bit like Big Mac and Miss Cheerilee on Hearts and Hooves day …”
“Only a lot more sinister. That heartbreak is far worse than I’ve ever seen; it is so severe as to stop them performing their Royal duties.”
“It was clearly a plan to get the Princesses out of the way …”
“Yes, but what can we do?”
A pause followed as the hopelessness sank in.

“Use raw magic?”
“And risk injuring the Princesses? No way - that stuff’s way too unpredictable.”
Another pause.
“OK, this is going to sound really silly, but we’ve tried brute force …”
“Yes …”
“But didn’t Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor defeat Queen Chrysalis with their love?”
“What, you mean …?”
“Yes, we could direct our love at the curse. Might be worth a shot, right?”
“Who shall we do first?”
“Mom. Come on, let’s all get round her dream bubble and think of how much she’s done for us, then project that through our magic all at once.”

Quickly all three surrounded Twilight’s bubble and focused hard on what she meant to them. Once the feeling had built up, each felt this wonderful warm glow of love and projected it forward. They cast it unlike any spell they had ever performed, each being surprised that the magic came not from their horns, but from the heart. Three powerful beams of love shot forward and enveloped the bubble, the oily green covering melting before them to reveal a grey coloured Twilight in a fitful dream inside, surrounded by a monochrome setting devoid of colour. As they continued, the last traces melted away and slowly the colour inside started to return.

Once they had stopped, they watched as the scene inside changed to a much happier one, bright joyful colours bursting through and the colour seeping back into their Mom’s lilac coat.
“We’ve done it girls!” shouted one in triumph, “Quick, Princess Luna next!”

Queen Chrysalis felt a sudden sharp tug in her magic as her control over Princess Twilight was lost. She howled a roar of anguish and gritted her teeth, diving in to attack the pony guards with more venom than even she had thought herself capable of. Her plan was beginning to unravel, and she knew she had to move fast while she still held an advantage. A second later she smashed into the front row of guards protecting the castle’s main entrance, sending them flying into the solid stone walls as the changeling army pushed forward around her.

The Nyxes quickly freed Princess Luna; she had borne her heartache on the inside and not shown it as openly as the other two, but it was still a deep and powerful curse. Now they faced a problem.
“Look, I don’t know if I can do this” said one of the Nyxes, “She did take us away from Mom. I just don’t think I can summon the same feeling …”
“OK” interrupted another, “Just think of how much happiness she gives Mom and Princess Luna, and all the ponies in Equestria. It may be a slightly different kind of love, but it’s love just the same, right?”

Each harboured a degree of scepticism, but they all hid their individual misgivings in an attempt to help convince the others that it would work, and so they all prepared themselves to cast another spell in the hope of releasing the Sun Princess. This time it was harder because although each had tried to push the negative thoughts from their mind, an underlying bitterness remained; they had forgiven, not forgotten.
“Come on girls!” shouted one of them, “For Equestria!”
Slowly the green sludge began to melt away and with the first signs of success, they redoubled their efforts, projecting more and more positive energy into destroying the last vestiges of the malevolent spell.

Finally, the Nyxes fell back on their haunches, drained. All three dream bubbles now contained the contented forms of the Princesses in all the rich colours of their vibrant dreams, and the Nyxes looked on knowing that before they could allow themselves the luxury of recovering they had to return back to the throne room and wake them up to defend Canterlot from Queen Chrysalis.

The Nyxes awoke from their meditations and shook the startled Princesses awake; none expressing any recollection of anything that had happened over the last few days. The sounds of fighting could be heard from within the throne room echoing loudly from all of the different doorways. The main doors were being pounded from the other side and flexing dangerously as they resisted the pressure from a large force of changelings trying to get in; it was clear they had less than a minute to get themselves rallied behind a plan.

“Remember what happened last time Queen Chrysalis attacked?” asked Nyx assuming command, let’s join horns and do it again!”
With no better ideas, this sounded a persuasive suggestion and the three Princesses joined their horns, lowering their heads so that the three Nyxes could join in too, one between each Princess.

They all focused on how much they loved, respected and owed each of the others in the circle, and a spark crossed between all of their horns as a pink mist began to swirl around them, gaining in power.

Suddenly there was a big bang as the large doors at the main entrance to the throne room gave up their resistance and burst open, their locks splintering as they were forced back with a crash into the stone walls. Chrysalis charged through, her look of vengeful anger melting into one of shock as she saw what was happening. Her mind flashed back with frightening clarity to a similar image she had seen when she had been defeated last time and she screamed a loud “Noooooooooo!” as the six alicorns began to rise from the floor.

She recoiled in horror, eyes wide and powerless to do anything more than watch as all six turned a blinding white before her. The last thing she saw was an explosion of white light that hit her on a wave of purest magic, sending her and her army tumbling out of the castle and out of Canterlot.

Everything was eerily quiet as the six alicorns floated gently back down to the ground, each wearing a contented smile on their faces; they were back together again, and as if that wasn’t enough cause for celebration in itself, they had seen off Queen Chrysalis too.

“Nyx” said Twilight, breaking the silence, “Unless I’m concussed, I’m seeing three of you. Did you do that dividing trick that you did when the monsters attacked Ponyville?”
“Yes Mom” they all replied in unison, then the two furthest away exchanged a look and let the one closest to Twilight explain. Celestia and Luna listened intently too as she catalogued the events that had led them all to this point, each of the Royal sisters blushing brightly when they heard how overtly they had been crushing on Twilight under the spell’s influence.

As the story unfolded, they became aware that the number of black coated ponies in the audience was gradually increasing, as the clones that had been outside fighting the changeling horde returned through the window. Some of those newly returned were bearing battle scars, but these weren’t the ones that caused concern, moreover it was the ones that hadn’t returned that could prove most damaging when Nyx came to rejoin back into her one true form again.

Once the key points of the story had been told, Celestia gave her apologies and went to check on the guards to provide whatever medical assistance was needed. Twilight and Luna meanwhile set off in search of the last two Nyxes. The streets and the landscape beyond were surprisingly free of any remnants of the battle, as all changelings had been completely blown away leaving everything deceptively tranquil. They focused on the immediate area around the castle and then flew an expanding spiral outwards. Nyx’s dark coat did not stand out as clearly as say Applejack’s or Pinkie’s in the long shadows, so progress was not as quick as either would have liked.

Suddenly Twilight saw a dark coloured pony trotting down the street below and called to Luna before diving down to see whether it was one of the clones. As she got closer, she recognised the distinctive features of her daughter and could see that she was carrying her wing awkwardly. She called and Nyx looked up, her smile not fully covering the pain she was clearly suffering.
“Mom! Mom!” she panted, “I’ve hurt my wing, I’m so sorry.”
“Do you have any other injuries?”
“No; I knocked down a changeling that was moving in on a scared little filly. I had to do something …”
“You did well. Now can you climb on my back and I’ll take you to the castle?”
“Yes, that would be nice” agreed Nyx, ”Like old times.”
“Yes Nyx, just like old times” agreed Twilight with a tear starting to form in her eye.

6 Counting the Cost

Luna kept looking for a sign of the last clone, her trepidation mounting by the minute as she imagined increasingly desperate scenarios that the brave young pony could have got caught up in. With no trace in the immediate area of the city she landed on a cloud to think, then it struck her - Nyx had found her hiding place in the Badlands by homing in on her livery collar, so should it not work for her also?

Luna called out to the moon with her magic as Nyx had done before and found it both welcoming and receptive to her request. Heartened, Luna took to the air and flew a much larger track around the outskirts of the city and after a few minutes felt her livery collar begin to glow softly. Her heart sank. She was flying over the waterfalls, from where the drop was so high it could kill or at the very least seriously injure any ponies that went over the edge. She dived lower and her livery collar grew warmer, a good thing because she would not have considered this as one of the prime areas to search, but equally she grew increasingly concerned for Nyx’s safety.

She skimmed along the side if the river continuing her search. She seemed to remember doing something very similar with Nyx not long ago, but couldn’t make out if that had been a dream or reality, or even a premonition. Her heart was racing now, desperate to find her gifted young deputy, increasingly fearful of what she may find.

Banking round a bend in the river she saw a black form on the riverbank. It looked so bedraggled, that at first she dismissed it could even be a pony, but her livery collar was telling her she had found her goal, so she set down next to it, just to see.

Luna looked down and put a forehoof to her mouth – it was Nyx; she had found the last of the clones, but … was she even still alive? She wrestled to keep her guilt under control, but knew she was only a short step away from blaming herself for anything that may have happened, even though she had been powerless to fight against the curse herself.
“Please …” she whispered gently, reaching out with her forehoof, “Be alive …”

She struggled to find a pulse, gently pushing and prodding where she knew it ought to be. Finally she found something very weak and felt overjoyed, but the feeling of initial elation was short lived as this pony was clearly seriously injured. Quickly, she lit her horn and a light blue aura wrapped itself around the limp frame preventing her condition from worsening but unable to make her any better.

Luna levitated the weakened body carefully and rested it as best she could on her back, holding it in place with a spell before beating her massive wings and lifting into the air. The flight back to the castle was short and ignoring the window that had been the entrance of choice for the others, chose instead the main entrance. She approached and saw her sister tending to the guards who had suffered the wrath of Queen Chrysalis’ direct frontal attack earlier and landed beside her.
“Sister, please would you look at Nyx, she is in a bad way and beyond my restorative magic.”

The injured guard Celestia was treating nodded and she turned away to look at the sad form her sister was levitating from her back. She put a forehoof to her mouth to see the pitiful state Nyx was in and felt a tide of guilt wash over her for having misjudged her so badly when she was a filly. She quickly recovered her composure and emitted a yellow aura to set about examining her.

“Serious chest injuries, broken ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding, water in the lung …” she reeled off, “She must have hit something very hard; you were lucky to find her, another half hour and she would be gone for sure.”
“She probably went over the waterfall and landed badly” postulated Luna.
“Yes – that would have done it” replied Celestia without looking up, as she continued her examination and started to repair the shattered body in front of her.

Luna looked up at her sister and saw fresh tear streaks on her muzzle. Yes, the life of this clone hung in the balance, but this was the first genuine expression of remorse she had seen Celestia show towards Nyx that couldn’t be attributed to glib expressions from a consummate politician. She knew that Nyx would have to rejoin together soon and that any injuries in this clone would become compounded with the other injuries suffered by all the others. Whilst this would be serious, she had no ideas what the consequences would be if this clone died.

Celestia worked tirelessly with her magic and was interrupted only by a professional male voice beside her. One of the guards who had witnessed Nyx’s bravery had gone to find Sir John General, the Royal Physician and dragged him back to look at this most important of patients. There was a brief discussion, and then a second magical aura appeared on the ailing body, both working together as time started to run out.

“Princess” remarked Sir John, “She has lost a lot of blood, we will need a donor.”
“Me” volunteered Luna without a second thought.
“Your Majesty?” he enquired quizzically.
“Her body was fashioned after mine. We are identical.”
He looked up at her questioningly.
“Without further delay, if you please” replied Luna assertively.

Quickly, he reached into his bag and pulled out a needle and a length of flexible pipe.
“This may hurt a little” he warned.
“I have faced worse” replied Luna becoming noticeably testy, “And far worse will befall her if we do not hurry.”
Chastened, he applied a tourniquet to her foreleg and set up the life-giving connection between the two alicorns, buying valuable time.

A respectful crowd formed around the scene, amongst whom was a concerned looking black alicorn who had come from the throne room. She said nothing, but went back to tell the other clones that they could expect a bumpy ride when they all rejoined. In a flash, Twilight ran out of the throne room and out to the main entrance where she pushed her way through the crowd to catch Luna’s sympathetic eye.

“Make way for Princess Twilight Sparkle!” she announced, and the way parted in front of her. She looked at Nyx and her world went into tunnel vision, just seeing the helpless form being worked on by two of the most respected ponies in all of Equestria. She felt her knees buckle as she knelt to stroke her daughters soft muzzle, and although she tried to resist the flood of tears building up behind her eyes, a lump rose in her throat and a choke turned into a sob as she cradled her head, willing her eyes to open and see that familiar smile. If Twilight had been called upon to say anything, that would have been enough to cause the tears to burst forth. Celestia looked up briefly and could read her clearly, comforting her with a gentle smile before resuming her work.

Finally Sir John turned to Celestia and gave her an update that everypony present listened intently to hear. Twilight was desperate to know too, but equally did not want to know if the news was bad, and steeled herself as best she could, that lump in her throat growing bigger by the second.

“We’ve done what we can” he announced, addressing the three Princesses, “Her chances are good, but recovery will take some time.”
“But we don’t have time” protested Twilight.
“Ah yes” he responded, “Her unique physiology. These injuries will be carried forward when she rejoins her clones together. I suggest Nyx performs this task in the operating theatre surrounded by our best medical staff as nopony can predict what may happen.”

He got up and clamped the flexible pipe joining Nyx to her donor and then withdrew it from Luna’s foreleg offering her the most grateful thanks and warning her to be careful as she had given a lot of blood. Celestia levitated Nyx and followed Sir John to the medical facilities. Luna placed a forehoof forward to follow them and lost her balance, only being saved by Twilight’s quick reactions in securing her with a fixing spell.
“I … I am sorry …” she muttered apologetically, ”I have become weaker than I anticipated.”
“Here, allow me, Luna” said Twilight moving alongside to offer her support, “Even heroes need a little help sometimes.”
“I am hardly a hero, Twilight Sparkle …”
“Oh yes you are” replied Twilight, giving her a friendly nuzzle, “You brought back my daughter.”

They made their way through the medical facilities and into the operating theatre, the troupe of Nyxes squeezing into the limited space as best they could.
“If we could leave this for even just a day, then the patient would be so much stronger; she may even be conscious by then too. I am worried that the shock of going through the rejoining process could kill her” pleaded Sir John, “And then I dare not think what could happen to the rest of you.”
“The dividing spell can only last so long” replied the spokespony of the Nyxes, “We can’t wait any longer, and a whole day is definitely out of the question.”
“Very well” replied Sir John, “But I can assure you we have all the facilities here to give you the best chance of recovering from whatever is wrong with you when you’re back together again.”

“Before we start” pronounced Celestia, “I want to say thank you to you, Nyx. I know we got off on the wrong hoof, and I will never forgive myself for the mistakes I made, but I just want you to know how grateful I am, in fact, how grateful we all are for what you have done and I hope in time you may grow to look upon me as a favourite aunt rather than a tyrant.”
“Thank you Princess Celestia” said Nyx, extending her muzzle up to meet Celestia’s leaning down to her.
The white mare wanted to say something more, but a lump rose in her throat and Twilight stepped in instead, “We all love you Nyx.”

Nyx looked to Sir John.
“Now?” she asked.
“If you’re ready” he confirmed.
There was a flash and suddenly the room was a lot less crowded.

Even before their eyes had adjusted, they all heard a deep groan and the one remaining Nyx fell to the floor clutching her chest. A nurse standing by with a sedative moved forward and gave her a shot which made her relax. Quickly, Sir John levitated the black pony onto the operating table where he examined her again. He knew where to look and as expected found that while the injuries were present, they were now less serious, but on the other hoof there were also a lot of other minor injuries from the other clones that had been treated by other members of his medical team earlier.

“How is she?” asked Twilight, twiddling her forehooves anxiously.
“It will take time, but her signs are strong. I suggest close observation for at least the next day.”
Immediately all three Princesses volunteered.
“I’ll take the first shift” said Twilight, “Don’t you two have a sun to lower and a moon to raise?”
The Royal sisters looked at each other as realisation dawned on them; Equestria had been in a state of perpetual dusk for days already.
“Very well” concurred Luna, “But I shall take second watch as it falls during the night.”

The night passed without incident and Celestia came down to the infirmary early next morning to see Nyx on a recovery bed, the operating theatre having been needed for the treatment of other patients.
“Good morning Lulu, how is she?”
“Greetings, Tia. She has turned a few times in her sleep, but is clearly in pain from her chest injuries. Other than that, all is well.”
“Good, I shall stay here while you lower the moon.”
Luna leaned over the sleeping Nyx and gave her a gentle kiss before going to attend to her duties, leaving her and her sister together.

“Nyx” whispered Celestia, giving her a kiss, “I love you. Please get well soon.”
These were words she had to say, but had somehow never been able to before now. She stayed leaned over the young mare’s peaceful form and a few overdue tears spilled onto her jet black fur.

A smile formed on Nyx’s face and she cracked an eye open.

“I love you too, Princess.”