In Another World

Summer Sun's Eve

Zuro seized the opportunity to lounge on a cloud since Rainbow Dash had yet to clear the skies for the day as she should have in his natural form when he looked up to see a carriage flew in for a landing in Ponyville. He sat on the edge of the cloud as he resumed his pegasus disguise with eagle eyes to get a closer look. In the roofless carriage sat a lavender-colored unicorn with a deep purple bowl-cut hairstyle lined with pink and lavender stripes, and next to her was...

"A baby dragon?" He asked himself as he looked closer. Sure enough, there was a young dragon with a lighter shade of lavender scales and a green belly as well as no wings. Zuro raised a brow at the little one. He lept off the cloud, opening his wings, and let himself parachute down to the streets. He started to walk up to her when he saw a streak of rainbow crashed into her. "Uh oh." He began to rush up to see if anyone was hurt before he saw Rainbow Dash make it rain on the newcomer before she spun around her. He stood there watching the scene with his jaw hanging before Rainbow started clearing the skies as if someone dared her to do so. When Rainbow flew off, Zuro rushed up.

"Excuse me," he called out, "did Dash hurt you at all?" The unicorn looked up at him. He looked her over, seeing her hair was a complete mess but no scars or bruises while the baby dragon covered his mouth to fight the laughter he was holding in.

"Just a little shaken up, thank you," She replied.

"Sorry about her," He said. "She can get a little out of control, sometimes."

"So I see," She said as she looked up to the now clear skies.

"My name is Zuro," He introduced himself as he held out his hand to her. She looked at him.

"Twilight Sparkle," She said as she briefly shook his hand before turning away. "I don't mean to be rude, but I have important duties for the princess." Zuro blinked.

"You were sent by the princess?" He asked as he walked up by her.

"That's right," A young boy voice called out, getting Zuro to look down.

"Oh, hey," Zuro said as he looked at the dragon. "Wow! A real baby dragon," He observed as he knelt on his knees to meet his gaze. "And you are?"

"I'm Spike," He proclaimed proudly, yet politely as he pointed a thumb at his chest. Zuro smiled at him.

"And we have to get going," Twilight called at him. "We need to see if the decore is coming along." Zuro looked up at her.

"I guess you'll wanna see Rarity next?" He asked as he stood up.

"Is she the one in charge of the decorations?" She asked as she looked at Zuro. He pointed.

"She runs the Carousel Boutique," he explained, "but last I heard, she was in Town Hall."

"Thank you," Twilight said. "Come on, Spike. Let's get this over with, so I can continue my research."

"But what about what Celestia told you?" Spike asked as he ran after her. Zuro watched them walk toward Town Hall with a hum.

"What was that all about?" He asked no one in particular.

"That was Twilight Sparkle," A familiar voice called, making Zuro look up to see Angel landing behind him. "She's Princess Celestia's protege and is most likely here to check on preparations for the celebration."

"And how do you know her?" Zuro asked.

"I lived in Canterlot for a while," She answered. "I've heard several of the girls tried to get her to take time away from her studies, but she's more interested in books than making friends."

"Have you met her?" Zuro asked.

"Not personally, but I have seen her running around Canterlot," She answered.

"Hey!" They both jumped at the sudden call of Pinkie's voice. "Did you see the new girl?! I'm throwing a party for her because she's new!"

"Calm down, Pinkie," Zuro grabbed her shoulders. "Seriously. I know how excited you get about people who are new in town, but take a breath!" She took in a deep breath. "You don't have to send the invite; I'll be there." He smiled at her, getting a huge grin from her.

"Great!" She cheered. "It'll be at the library!" She looked at Angel. "You're invited too! See you there!" Before either of them could say anything else, Pinkie bounced away. Angel shook her head with a chuckle.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that girl's antics," Angel mused as she watched Pinkie bounce off. Zuro chuckled as he looked at Angel.

"Wanna go to the party together?" He asked. She smirked at him with a raised brow.

"You're not one to give up, are you?" She asked. He shook his head.

"If I gave up, Jet wouldn't be with us today," He observed.

"Good point," She agreed. "Well, I enjoyed having lunch with you, so, okay. I'll go with you to the party." Zuro pumped his fist in triumph.

"Score!" She chuckled at him.

"Don't get too carried away, Guardian," She smiled at him. "I'll see you at the library."

"See you then," He replied before she flew off. "In the meantime, I wonder how the Cakes are doing." He turned to Sugarcube Corner. He walked in the front door and found the place surprisingly almost empty with Cup Cake at the counter, who looked up at him with a smile.

"Hello, sweetie," She beamed.

"Hi, Mrs. Cake," Zuro waved at her as he took a seat at the counter. "Thought I'd come see how you two were doing since Pinkie's busy right now."

"Well, we're doing just fine right now," She answered.

"Are you sure?" Zuro asked. "I figured with Pinkie busy, you could use help around the store," Zuro observed as he looked around the store.

"Pinkie came in and told everyone she was planning a party at the library, so I guess they're all going there right now," She explained.

"There's a new unicorn in town, called Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie's throwing a party for her," Zuro clarified.

"That makes sense," Cup mused. "Are you going to the party?"

"I already told Pinkie I'd be there and managed to get a date for the party as well," Zuro smiled. Cup beamed at him.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" She leaned on the counter. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Angel Wings," Zuro answered.

"Jet's cousin?" Cup asked with a smile. "Oh, she'd be crazy to reject you!" she giggled, making Zuro blush.

"Oh, stop," He chuckled. "It's just a date; it's not like she's my girlfriend."

"Don't sell yourself short, sweetie," She said as she walked around the counter to sit next to him. "I can speak from experience; you're going to make whoever you choose to spend the rest of your life with very happy." He smiled at her.

"Thank you," He said. Cup pecked his cheek before getting back up to walk around to the back of the counter.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked. "We're closing early because of the celebration."

"How about that delicious cupcake?" He smiled at her, getting her to giggle.

"I thought that would be the case, so I already had one made special just for you," She explained as she reached under the counter and pulled up that familiar cake she gave him the first day he came to Ponyville.

"You know me too well, Cup," He smiled as he took the cupcake. She beamed at what he called her.

"That may be the first time you actually called me by my first name," She mused. He blinked at her.

"Did I?" She giggled. He smiled. "I guess I did." He took a bite of the cake. "Just as good as the first one you made for me, Cup." She beamed at him. He left five bits on the counter as he got up.

"It's just one bit, sweetie," She pointed out.

"The four is for being a good friend to me," He smiled back at her. "And a bit of a mother figure when you think about it." She smiled at him. "I'll see you late, Cup. Give Carrot my best wishes."

"Will do, sweetie," She smiled at him as she put the bits away. "Have fun tonight."

"I will," He replied as he walked out the door.

~~)oOo(~~

Zuro walked up to the door of the Golden Oak Library, where Jet stood waiting outside, who looked up at him. "Hey, Guardian!"

"Hey, Jet," Zuro replied as he looked around. "Is Angel here yet?"

"Why?" Jet asked before he blinked. "Wait, you're not-"

"I asked her to come to the party with me," Zuro interrupted.

"And she said yes?" Jet asked with his jaw hanging.

"Is that a problem?" Her voice called out as she landed next to them.

"What if it is?" Jet asked her as he looked at his cousin with a narrowed brow.

"I believe who I date is my choice, cuz," She stated bluntly as she shoved a finger straight into his chest.

"Ow!" He pulled back as he rubbed his chest. "Okay, okay." He looked between them. "So, you two are a thing now? That's cool!"

"It's just a date, Jet," Zuro stated, "it's not like we're-"

The door swung open. "Less chatting!" Pinkie Pie shouted out before grabbing Jet's wings. "More hiding!" She yanked him into the darkened room, getting a yelp out of Jet as they vanished. Angel and Zuro blinked at the event that just happened before their eyes before they looked at each other, then walked inside.

The room was dark, with whispers in every corner. They looked around to no avail since the only light in the room was from the setting sun shining through the windows. "Hey, guys," Jet's voice called out in a hushed tone, "over here!" They followed his voice, bumping into a few people as they want until they found him. "Pinkie's making this a surprise party, so keep quiet," Jet explained.

"Well, that explains the total darkness," Angel observed.

"Shh!" Pinkie's voice sounded right next to her ear. "She's coming!" Pinkie whispered.

The door opened. "We simply must get you to bed!" But, that was not Twilight's voice; that was Fluttershy's voice. They looked up to see Fluttershy's silhouette flying into the library before Twilight's rushed in, taking a small creature from the Pegasus before kicking her out.

"Yes, we'll get right to that," Twilight said. "Bye." She slammed the door.

"Rude much?" Spike's voice called out.

"I'm sorry, Spike," Twilight replied. "But I have to get to my research without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?"

As if on cue, the lights flashed on when all the ponies in the room cried out, "Surprise!" Confetti showered the room as party music began to play. Zuro watched Twilight as he sensed frustration and fear coming from her. The frustration seemed understandable given what little he knew about her, but what did she have to fear?

Pinkie started rambling on to Twilight as the pegasus walked to the table filled with snacks and drinks. Apple Jack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and even Fluttershy gathered around Twilight to welcome her before the unicorn ran upstairs.

"Zuro?" Angel's voice pulled him from his trance, and he looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah," He shook his head. "Just got lost in thought, is all. Nothing to worry about." He looked to the stairs. "I hope." The fear he sensed from Twilight was quite intense, it was concerning, but he shook it off, thinking it was just nerves from being in a new place. "Anyway, shall we go to the snack bar?" He asked her with a smile.

"I just ate, so I'm good," She smiled. "How about pin the tail on the pony?" She asked.

"Sounds good." He smiled at her as they walked over to the game. They had to wait for their turn as several ponies were having fun with the game as well. After a few rounds of failing miserably at pinning the tail, couples' music began playing. Zuro looked over to Angel with a bit of a blush as he held out a hand to her. "Shall we dance?" She smiled as she took his hand.

They walked over to what was the dance floor, where they faced each other. He held her right hand in his left as he rested his right hand on her smooth waist, keeping her close as they started dancing to the music, all while she rested her left hand on his shoulder. The feel of her curve in his hand was unlike anything he had ever felt before. She felt different from Cup Cake. He began to dance to the music as she followed while they swayed side-to-side to the sound of the music, smiling in each other's eyes.

"You're not a bad dancer," She observed.

"My mother taught me a thing or two," He replied.

"I'd love to meet your family someday," She said, yet he kept a warm smile on his face. Zuro's heart sank a bit. Arranging for her to meet the family would not be a problem at all. The problem is to convince her his family was all pegasi instead of changelings. His mother and father would be able to pull off the act with ease, but his brother was still struggling with his magic as far as he knew, and his sister was still too young to have a handle of shifting at all. He could just straight up tell her the truth, but he had no idea if he could trust her with that knowledge yet.

"I think I can set something up," He said. "Why the fuck did I tell her that?!" "But it may take a while since they're in another country right now."

"I can wait," She said with a smile. Zuro smiled at her. "Well, at least that buys time for me to get something set up. Especially if we do end up as a mated pair." Their dance came to an end when the song concluded. Angel pulled away from Zuro's hold as she smiled at him. "Now, I'm peckish."

The party continued for hours without its guest of honor, Twilight, until it came time for everyone to head to Town Hall for the celebration. They started to follow the crowd, leaving the library, when a pair of red hands rested on their shoulders, making them look to see Jet between them.

"Saw you two love birds on the dance floor!" He smirked.

"Jet, keep pressing on this, and I'll have to cut your dick off," Angel threatened.

"Whoa, pulling out the big guns, huh cuz?" He smiled at her. "Don't worry; I won't tell anyone."

"Jet, have you been in the special cyder?" Zuro asked.

"No, officer!" Jet replied. Zuro rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "C'mon, you two! Let's go watch the princess raise the sun!" As jet started to step forward, he fell face-first into the floor with a yelp. Zuro looked down just in time to see Angel pull her leg away, getting him to look at her as she looked off to the side with an innocent smile. Jet got back up on his hooves as he brushed himself off. "I meant to do that." Then he proceeded to follow the crowd out the door.

"Nice move," Zuro whispered to Angel, who giggled at his compliment before she walked with him out of the library.

Inside Town Hall, everyone in Ponyville gathered together to see their princess raise the sun for the Summer Sun Celebration. Jet took the lazy option by flying up to sit on the edge of one of the upstairs railing while Zuro and Angel stood side-by-side below him.

As everyone mingled while waiting for the celebration to begin, Zuro could not help but feel a sense of dread at the princess being so close. He looked around at the number of guards posted at every corner, including two at the main entrance, which gave him chills as he passed them.

"Hey, Zuro?" Angel's voice pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked and looked at her. "You okay? You seem a little on edge."

"Oh, I uh-" He looked around a few times. "I've never seen the princess before. I guess I'm just nervous about being in the presence of royalty and the royal guards."

"Are you a criminal?" She asked. Zuro looked at her. He had never committed a crime in Equestria or the Dezolute Zone.

"No, I'm not," He answered. "I've never committed a crime in my life. Not even a misdemeanor." Zuro was confident in his answer, as he never did break any Equestrian law since he arrived, as far as he was aware.

"Then, you have nothing to worry about." She offered him a smile.

"I guess so," He replied. Though he had never committed a crime in his life, records of his race were unfavorable in Equestria, and a large part of that has to do with rogue changelings running among them. If the guards find out Zuro is a changeling, they may arrest him on the sport. One of the many fears his mother always dreaded.

"Jet told me you fought lions, tigers, and bears to save his life, and a few guards throw you off?" She observed.

"Wild animals aren't trained elite operatives," He pointed out. "And before you say anything about my fighting skills, I may be good, but I'm not a one-man army against a platoon of royal guards."

"Good point," she admitted, "but you still have nothing to worry about."

Before he could counter her good point, the sound of birds tweeting a royal introduction tune filled the room, and everyone looked up to see the Mayor stand on the stage. She smiled over the crowd as they all smiled at her.

"Thank you all for coming!" She said. "Today is a day to celebrate our princess, Celestia, for a thousand years of peace and harmony!" The crowd cheered at this. "Now, please join me in welcoming," she pointed up to the balcony above her as the birds started singing again, "Princess Celestia!" The red curtains behind the guard rail pulled open as a spotlight shined where no one stood. Everything went silent at the lack of the princess stepping onto the platform. A few seconds later, Rarity stepped into view with a look of concern on her face.

"She's gone!"

The room filled with one loud gasp at the announcement of Celestia not in the building. Zuro watched Rarity on the balcony as he held back the urge to gag at the sensation of overwhelming unease and fear. Jet landed behind Zuro and Angel, making them look at him.

"Something's wrong," he observed.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Cuz," Angel rolled her eyes at him before screams filled the room, drawing their attention back up to the balcony as a cloud of purple smoke swirled in on the spot, solidifying into the silhouette of a pegasus. The silhouette took the shape of a woman with a rich black coat, long, flowing purple hair, and a long wand in her right hand while dawning cyan-blue armor that covered her chest, waist, forearms, and shins, topped with a regal helmet atop her head. Her body was smooth and firm, more than enough to mesmerize any male or lesbian who gazed upon her dark beauty.

Zuro went wide-eyed at the sight of this frighteningly magnificent creature standing before the crowd. Angel stared at the alicorn in both awe and terror. Jet's jaw dropped as he eyed the newcomer from top to bottom.

The alicorn cackled with an evil grin upon her face as she looked over the gathered equine. "Well, my loyal subjects," she mused.

"What have you done with the princess!" Rainbow's voice cried out as she flew up for an attack, only to be stopped by Apple Jack grabbing her ankle.

"Whoa there, nelly!" AJ called.

"What?" The alicorn asked. "Am I not regal enough for you? Does my crown not count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" Then, she evaporated into a purple cloud of smoke that flew over to Fluttershy, scaring the young pegasus's birds away as it solidified again. "Did you not foresee my return? Did you not see the signs?"

"I did!" Twilight's voice called out, getting the alicorn to look over at the source of the voice. "You're the mare of the Moon!" Twilight said, "Nightmare Moon!" The alicorn grinned at her as the crowd gasped.

"Well, someone who remembers me," Nightmare observed. "Then, you must also know why I'm here!"

"You're here to-" Twilight's voice trailed off as the crowd focused on her.

"What do you think is going on?" Angel asked as she looked to Zuro.

"In some of the books I've read on Equestrian history, there was a dark time over a thousand years ago, known only as the nightmare," Zuro whispered.

"Sease her! Only she knows where the princess is!" The mayor's voice cried out as the guards charged Nightmare. Zuro, Jet, and Angel looked up as Nightmare raised her arms while spreading her wings, and her hair began flowing in all directions.

"Stand back, you fools!" Her voice boomed in the room as lightning struck from her wand at the guards, sending them falling to the ground. Nightmare cackled maniacally as her hair engulfed her in a cloud of purple smoke before flying out the window. Apple Jack lost her grip of Rainbow Dash's ankle, who flew out the main door screaming, "come back here!"

"Hey!" Jet's voice caught Zuro's attention as he looked at Angel holding his right-wing.

"No, you don't!" Angel yelled as she held him down. Zuro quickly pieced together that Jet just tried to fly after Nightmare with Rainbow.

"Jet, a monarch would kill you before you had a chance to throw a single punch," Zuro insisted.

"C'mon!" Jet protested. "She knows what happened to Princess Celestia! We have to go after her!"

"And how do you propose we get her to tell us?" Zuro asked. "If you have any idea on how to get a creature more powerful than most in all the world to do what you want, please tell us." Jet stopped resisting Angel's grip on his wing in defeat.

"Fine, I get the point," He pouted. Angel kept a hold of his wing in case he only said what they wanted him to say.

"Regardless, Jet does have a point," Angel piped up. Jet and Zuro looked at her, who, in turn, looked at Zuro. "You said you read Equestrian History. Do you have any idea on where to start?"

"Nothing I've read went into detail about The Nightmare," Zuro answered. "The most I ever got was brief mentions in field guides."

"Seriously?" Jet asked. "You told me you obsessed over Equestrian culture before you moved here, and you don't know anything about this?" He pointed out the door the purple cloud flew through.

"Yes, but Equestrian books are limited where I come from," Zuro countered.

"Okay, stop," Angel piped up before she looked at Zuro, "would it help if we checked the library? There's bound to be something about this Nightmare character in there."

"That's the best place to start at this point," Zuro observed.

"Then, what are we waiting for?!" Jet called out as he slapped Angel's grip off his wing before he flew off.

"Jet, wait!" Angel flew after him, and Zuro followed.

They stopped short outside of Town Hall to see the sun had yet to rise. "Wait, isn't the sun supposed to be up right now?" Angel asked.

"The Night was a time of Darkness, remember?" Zuro pointed out.

"I thought you meant a dark age, not literal darkness," Jet observed.

"Well, so did I, but it makes sense when you think about it," Zuro looked up at the sky when something caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes to find the source of the overwhelming hatred and rage he felt inside Town Hall. Now that he was away from the crowd, the sensation was made clear. He looked around but could see nothing in the night sky, but he could sense where it flew and turned to look in the direction of the library.

"Zuro?!" Zuro blinked and looked at Jet, who was waving his hand in his face. "Come back to reality, pal!"

"You've been fazing out a lot tonight," Angel observed as she watched Zuro. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"An alicorn of legend just appeared out of nowhere," Zuro defended himself to avoid telling them the truth.

"Well, if you're back, let's get our asses to the library already!" Jet took off.

"Come on," Angel sighed. "We better catch up with him before he gets his ass in deeper trouble." Zuro nodded, and they both took off after Jet.

They landed just outside the library to find the door wide open, so they walked inside to find the place exactly covered in confetti and empty cups and plates.

"Alright, where should we start?" Jet asked as he looked through the shelves.

"Shh!" Angel hushed Jet as she held a finger to her lips. They looked up and noted the sound of... snoring? They looked between each other a few times before Angel hovered up to the top floor, where she found the baby Scaled asleep in the bed by the window. She hovered back to the ground floor as she looked at them.

"Spike's sleeping upstairs," She explained.

"You mean Twilight's pet, Scaled?" Jet asked with a raised brow, getting a glare from Angel.

"Seriously, Jet," She softly growled. "At some point in your life, you're going to have to learn to shut your mouth the fuck up."

"Guys, now's not the time to be pointing fingers," Zuro piped up. "We need to find out how we can stop Nightmare."

"So, where do we start?" Jet asked him.

"What about the open book on the table over there?" Angel asked as she walked over to the table at the center of the room, where an open book lay. "The Elements of Harmony; A reference Guide?" Zuro walked up to look the book over.

"I've never heard of that before," He observed. He picked the book up and began scanning through the pages. "It talks about ancient artifacts.

"Do you think we can use them to stop Nightmare?" Jet asked.

"It doesn't say-" Zuro began before he blinked. "Wait! I remember reading something that talked about Celestia using some sort of Element to stop a wicked alicorn of darkness!"

"Shh!" Angel hushed him. Zuro gave a look that said "sorry" before she looked at the book. "Does it say where we can find them?" Zuro looked through the pages.

"The Castle of the Two Sisters located in the Everfree Forest," Zuro observed. Jet and Angel blinked, getting Zuro to look between them. "Is the Everfree really that bad?" Unfortunately, Zuro barely read anything about the forest before he came to Equestria, so the most he learned about the place was by word of mouth during his time in Ponyville.

"Seriously, dude?" Jet asked. "In all the time you've been here, you don't think the Everfree is bad?"

"A regular forest offers enough dangers, but the Everfree is something else," Angel added.

"Worse than a life of nightmares and everlasting night?" Zuro asked. Angel and Jet looked at each other for a moment. Zuro did make an excellent point. If they did not try to stop Nightmare, who would? They looked at Zuro.

"Okay, pal," Jet said. "If you're going, count me in. Celestia knows you've been there to pull my ass out of the fire; it's only fair I should be there to return the favor."

"And I'm not about to let my new friend venture into that dangerous forest on his own with my klutzy cousin," Angel added, getting a "hey!" from Jet.

"Alright," Zuro smiled at them. "I don't want to put you two in danger, but if we don't do this, things could get much worse, so let's go." All three of them rushed outside and took off toward the forest.