My Little Sister is a Dragon: Nightmare Moon Arc

Chapters

1. An Egg in the Forest
2. The Four Stars
3. The Presentation
4. The Cult
6. Nightmare Moon Returns!
7. The Elements
8. Forgiveness
9. The Golem
10. Epilogue
5. The Final Sunset?

1. An Egg in the Forest

In a small log cabin in the countryside of Equestria lived a happy unicorn family of two parents and their young son, Nightwatch. Nightwatch was a gifted unicorn that excelled in magic quite well for his age and got the highest grades in his class. He didn’t have his cutie mark yet, but he had a strong feeling it would have something to do with magic or science: his two greatest strengths. He would normally spend nights reading books and studying magic. He was a night-owl for sure and would sometimes stay up too late and sleep in.

One sunny morning, Nightwatch woke up to the chirping of birds outside of his bedroom window. He didn’t set his alarm to wake him since it was a Saturday, but it was past ten o’ clock and he didn’t want to worry his parents. He sat upright in his bed and yawned deeply before using his unicorn magic to brush his black and purple hair. Today was his tenth birthday and his mother told him she would have something special for him when he got up. Mindful of this, he hopped down from his bed, stretched for a few seconds, then left his bedroom to head downstairs to meet his father Midnight Hue and his mother Aurora Shine.

“Nightwatch, sweetie,” called his mother below. “We have a little surprise for you!”

“Hey Mom! Hey Dad!” he said as he made it down into the kitchen.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” they both said.

He watched as they stepped aside to show a little cupcake on the table. It was made of pink cake with yellow frosting and a lit candle.

“Mom, you made me one of your buttercream frosting cupcakes?!” Nightwatch said as he rushed over to the table and stared at the cupcake with wide eyes.

“We knew you loved those things, dear,” said his mother as she patted him on the back.

“Make a wish before that candle melts, buddy!” his father told him.

Nightwatch closed his eyes for a few seconds and then blew out the candle as his parents cheered for him.

“YAAAAY! Gosh, I can’t believe you’re already ten years old. You grow up so fast!” his mother said as she hugged him.

“So what did you wish for?” asked his father?

“I wished for a new sister!”

Nightwatch’s parents glanced at each other nervously, but did their best to keep smiling. It wasn’t unusual for him to make such a wish. A while ago, Aurora was to give birth to a female unicorn, but the baby did not make it. This affected Nightwatch badly, and his parents were scared of having another miscarriage. He was looking forward to being a big brother, but this loss didn’t keep him from wishing for another one.

“Aw, sweetie…” his mother said. “We know you really want a sister, but maybe you should wish for something that’s, how shall I put it…a little easier for us to get you?”

“Like a telescope?” his father blurted out as his mother glared at him like he was giving away a secret.

“I know you guys might not be able to give me a little sister someday, but I’ll keep wishing for one,” Nightwatch said, cheerfully.

“Well, okay then, honey. Never hurts to be optimistic,” his mother said, petting him on the head.

“We’ll get the cake ready tonight and then open your presents after we eat supper,” his father explained as he went to sit back down at the couch to read a newspaper.

“Can’t wait!” he said.

“In the meantime, you’ve got the whole day to yourself to see if you can work on those magic spells you’ve been practicing,” his mother told him as he walked to the front door.

“I think I’ll try the magic spells later. Can I go for a walk by the forest, Dad?”

“Yeah, just don’t go too deep into it.”

“Alright, I’ll be back. Thanks for the cupcake, Mom!”

Nightwatch nuzzled up to his mother and she gave him a kiss on the forehead. He then picked up the cupcake with his magic and munched on it, while walking out the front door. After the door closed, his mother appeared somewhat upset.

“Midnight, should I tell him I’ve been having trouble getting pregnant?” Aurora asked.

“I don’t know, honey. I don’t think he’ll take it so well,” Midnight responded.

“I hope there’s nothing wrong with me. We’ve been trying so hard ever since we lost Twinkle. I just wish I could give him a sister.”

“I know. We’ll keep trying. We should still be thankful to have him.”

“I am. Even if he’s the only one, he’s still my precious baby.”

Aurora looked out the window as she saw Nightwatch walking across the yard into the forest by their house.

Nightwatch trotted along a path in the forest as he finished eating his cupcake. He listened as the birds continued to chirp and the light breeze shook the branches of the trees around him. He walked on slowly, trying to guess what he might get for his birthday later that night. He walked a bit further into the forest where there was more shade. He didn’t want to go too far, but he loved being outside on beautiful days like this. As he looked around, marveling at nature, something caught his eye. He noticed something shiny in the distance about a hundred yards away. He didn’t think too much of it at first but was curious enough to walk on till he got closer. It could have been a fallen branch seen in the sunlight, but it was too bright and small. As he got closer, its shape appeared more round and smooth, almost like it was a stone. Once he got close enough, he could finally make it out clearly. It was a yellow egg sitting in a patch of grass with a single ray of sunlight beating down on it.

“Huh? Is that an egg? What kind of egg is it?”

Nightwatch walked closer to the egg and examined it. He wasn’t sure if it was a large bird egg or a reptile’s, though the large darker yellow spots on it seemed to indicate it could be a dragon egg like the ones he had seen in a book he had. He wondered what a dragon egg was doing out here in this climate all by itself. According to the book he read, dragons would usually dwell in mountains and volcanic areas and would keep their eggs together in the same spot. No dragon would keep its egg in an area like this. It was too cool for it to be incubated in the forest, but the sunlight might have made it warm enough. He reached over with his hoof and gave the egg a light tap. Suddenly, it wiggled and made a sound. He thought it may be ready to hatch but wasn’t strong enough to break the egg yet.

“Uh…hello? Is this somebody’s egg?” he called out.

He waited for a few seconds and there was no answer. He was so eager to know what was in this egg; he decided to try hatching it since it was clearly ready to break open. He charged up his horn with some magic and zapped the egg. The egg sat still for a few seconds. The top began to bulge until it chipped open and a small yellow tail with a pink heart-shaped tip emerged. Right next to it emerged two legs, revealing a small female dragon that had hatched upside down. She flapped her tail about and finally turned herself upright. The rest of her body was yellow and she had a lighter yellow underbelly. There were rounded pink spikes on her head and going down her back to the end of her tail. The pink fins on the side of her head were also shaped like hearts. She rubbed her eyes and then opened them to reveal bright blue irises with slit pupils. She stared curiously at the little unicorn and then smiled. Nightwatch stared with his mouth open. He wasn’t sure how to react. He knew this dragon didn’t belong to him and her parents were probably wondering where she was, but perhaps she had been abandoned or dropped during a migration. Something seemed so charming about this little dragon and Nightwatch couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Uh…hey there, little one. Where did you come from? Are your parents around?” he said, nervously.

The dragon opened her mouth and laughed as she pushed forward on the egg till it fell down on its side. She crawled out of it and hugged his leg. She had clearly already taken a liking to him. Nightwatch was a bit shocked at first, but he remembered the wish he had made earlier. Perhaps this was the sister he had been wishing for all this time and now he finally had one. He couldn’t just leave her out in the wild, so he decided to take her back home.

“Aw, it’s okay,” he said, petting her on the head. “I can take care of you. Maybe I’ll ask my parents if it’s okay. I always did want a little sister.”

The dragon walked to his side and looked like she was trying to climb up on him. She was still too weak so he used his magic to place her onto his back.

“I wonder what I should name you,” he said, looking back at her as she continued to giggle. “You kind of look like the buttercream cupcake my mom gave me earlier… You know what? I’m gonna call you that from now on: Buttercream.”

Before leaving to go back home, Nightwatch used his magic to lift the egg and all it's pieces to take as a memento. He then began walking back on the path and was in front of his house in no time. Buttercream kept cooing and giggling as she took in her surroundings. Nightwatch stopped in front of the door to think a bit before opening. He wasn’t sure how his parents would react to this, but they were both very kind and accepting. He had no doubt they would be okay with him keeping Buttercream around. He had already made up his mind that he wanted this little dragon to be his sister anyway, so there was no stopping him. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

Inside, Aurora was cleaning some dishes while Midnight was still reading his newspaper. They both heard he door opening and the sounds Buttercream was making.

“Nightwatch, is that you?” asked his mother.

“Mom, Dad, come see what I found,” he said.

“Uh oh. Did you find another one of those salamanders under the…” Midnight began to say until he saw his son.

Aurora walked over towards the front door and saw Nightwatch standing there with something on his back and a big yellow egg shell on the floor next to him. She couldn’t make it out at first but then noticed a little yellow head with big cute eyes behind him. At first she thought it was a pony until Nightwatch turned to the side. She saw that it had digits and a tail with little spikes. Midnight walked over next to her with his mouth hanging open. For a few seconds they stared, unsure of how to respond.

“Can we keep her?” Nightwatch asked.

“Is…is that a dragon?” asked Midnight.

“Awww, she’s so cute!” said Aurora.

“I found her out in the forest. I even brought her egg.”

“What is a dragon doing around here anyway?” Midnight said as she walked over to get a closer look at Buttercream. “Eh, buddy, I’m not sure if we should keep her. Are you sure her parent’s aren’t around?”

“Well the book I read said they don’t nest around here, so I’m guessing she was dropped or something. Either that or maybe one of those giant birds was carrying her and dropped her in the forest.”

“Oh, you mean rocs. Yeah, those things do like to go after young dragons.”

“Oh, Midnight, I don’t see the problem with keeping her,” Aurora said. “We can’t just leave her in the forest by herself.”

“Well hold on now, dear,” Midnight said, as he turned to his son, “Nightwatch, if we keep her in this house, you have to promise to help us take care of her. She’s going to be a bit of a hassle, especially since we don’t know much about dragons. Understood?”

“Yes, Dad. I’ll take care of her just like I’d take care of Twinkle if she were still around. I did wish for a sister after all.”

Midnight and Aurora looked at each other and smiled after hearing their son say this. Perhaps this was meant to be and this little dragon would be a blessing to their family after all.

“I guess you’ve got a point,” Midnight said. “So have you named her yet?”

“I named her Buttercream cuz she looks like Mom’s cupcakes.”

“Aw, that’s just precious! Speaking of which, she looks like she’s hungry, sweetie. Do you know what dragons eat?”

“The book said they like to eat gems, but they’ll eat just about anything. Maybe we should see if she actually likes one of your cupcakes?”

“That sounds like an idea!”

Nightwatch walked over to the table and hopped up into a chair while holding Buttercream with his magic. He then placed her on his lap while his mother brought out another cupcake. She placed it in front of Buttercream who stared at the cupcake for a few seconds and sniffed it.

“Give it a try, Buttercream. It’s delicious!” Nightwatch told his little sister.

Buttercream then licked her lips as if she already knew the cupcake would taste good. She lunged forward, grabbed the cupcake and stuffed it in her mouth. She chomped away as crumbs fell onto the table and she left icing all over her lips.

“Whoa! She’s a real eater already!” Midnight said.

“Her first meal!” Aurora added.

Buttercream giggled and licked the icing on her lips with her forked tongue.

“Do you like it?” Nightwatch asked.

Buttercream’s cheeks puffed up. She opened up her mouth and burped loudly. Everyone was silent for about one second before they burst into laughter. Buttercream laughed with them and flailed her arms around, bobbing up and down in Nightwatch’s lap. Nightwatch cuddled up to her and she nuzzled him back.

“You’re gonna be a great sister, Buttercream!” he said.

2. The Four Stars

One month passed since Nightwatch found Buttercream. She was getting better at crawling and could already speak by saying one word at a time. He took her out one night to look through the telescope his parents got him for his birthday. The skies were clear, and the stars shone brightly overhead. The moon would be full tonight but would not be up until after Nightwatch’s bedtime.

“See that one, Butter? That one is called Orion!” Nightwatch said as he held his little baby sister in front of the telescope.

Buttercream giggled as she looked through the eyepiece and started speaking.

“O…O…Owion!” Buttercream said, cheerfully.

“That’s right, Butter!”

“She really is a talker now!” Aurora added, cheerfully.

“She really likes this! Maybe she’ll grow up to be a star-gazer like you, buddy!” said Midnight Hue.

“Show her the Big Dipper, Nighty!” Aurora told her son as he began adjusting the telescope again.

“Riiiiight…there! Look Butter, the Big Dipper!”

“Biiiiidippuh!”

“Hehe, close enough.”

“Showing her these constellations is really helping her to grow up, son,” Midnight said as he patted Nightwatch on the shoulder. “Before you know it, she’ll be able to speak full sentences!”

“It’s so great to use my telescope and be with her at the same time,” Nightwatch said as he cuddled up to Buttercream. “I’m so glad you guys got me this. I love looking at the night sky and finding all the stars!”

“We knew this was what you wanted most, sweetie,” Aurora said. “Can you remember your zodiac constellation?”

“Yup! I was born on July 12th so mine is Cancer.”

“Butter was born on the same day so she has the same one! Do you wanna show her Cancer?”

“Good idea, Mom! Here Butter, let’s find it…”

Nightwatch walked back over to his telescope and moved it around until he found the constellation. He allowed Buttercream to crawl over to the eyepiece and start to look through.

“There it is! That’s Cancer, Buttercream!”

“Cansuh!”

“You got it! Say, Mom, Dad, can I ask you guys something?”

“Sure, son. What is it?” Midnight answered as Nightwatch walked to them.

“I know you guys don’t like when I stay up past ten, but can I pleeeease do it tonight? I really wanna show Butter the Mare in the Moon when it comes up over the mountain.”

Midnight and Aurora shared looks and then smiled.

“Alright, Nighty. You can stay up until you’ve seen the full moon.”

“YES! Thank you! Let me go inside real quick to get my book!”

Nightwatch rushed into the house to retrieve a special book about the Mare in the Moon. Aurora and Midnight stayed behind to keep an eye on Buttercream and the telescope. She stayed put to watch some nearby fireflies.

“He’s been happier than I’ve seen him in a while, honey,” Aurora told her husband as she snuggled up beside him.

“It’s because of this little one right here,” Midnight told her while petting Buttercream. “This little dragon has been quite the blessing to our family. She was just what we needed after losing poor Twinkle.”

“I was a little iffy about letting a baby dragon stay here at first, but she’s done well so far. Everyone in town doesn’t seem to mind either. I thought some would be more uneasy with a dragon around, given how poor of relations Equestria has with dragons.”

“Maybe one day the dragons and ponies will get back together again.”

They then heard Nightwatch running back outside. He was using his magic to carry a large book.

“I found it!” he shouted as he quickly placed the book on the ground and opened it up.

“Are you going to tell Butter about the prophecy?” Aurora asked.

“Sure am! Look Butter. See that? That’s the Mare in the Moon.”

Nightwatch pointed to a page that showed a picture of the moon with the shape of an alicorn head in it. On the same page were ancient illustrations of the royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Buttercream stared in amazement at the book as Nightwatch continued.

“Long ago, Equestria was ruled by two sisters: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. There was harmony in the land until the younger sister, Luna grew resentful and jealous of her sister and transformed into the wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon! Using her new corrupted magic, she raised the moon and threatened to make the night last forever, so Celestia had no choice but to banish her sister to the moon by using the power of the Elements of Harmony. There is a prophecy that says Nightmare Moon will break free of the moon after one thousand years, and if my calculations are correct, she will return in about ten years on the very night of the Summer Sun Celebration. I always try to tell the kids at school about this, but they laugh at me and say Mare in the Moon is just an old pony’s tale. I believe it though, and when Nightmare Moon does return, someone else will find the Elements of Harmony to break Princess Luna free of the curse.”

Buttercream put her tiny claw on the picture of Princess Luna.

“Woo…Woona,” she said.

“Yup, that’s her. I feel bad for Princess Luna because she just wanted other ponies to love her night, but her anger created Nightmare Moon and Luna didn’t mean to harm anyone. When she comes back and is set free, I want to meet her myself.”

Midnight and Aurora smiled proudly as Nightwatch recited the prophecy to his little sister. They looked at each other, giggling softly at the sight of their son being so educated on the matter and saying how he wanted to meet the princess some day. They then noticed something out of the corner of their eye. The moon began to rise over the hilltop.

“Nighty, it’s time!” said Aurora.

“OH! There it is, Butter! The moon is rising!”

Nightwatch jumped up and turned his telescope around to view the moon. He made some adjustments and then tightened the bolts and lifted Butter to allow her to look into the eyepiece.

“That’s the Mare in the Moon! See how it looks like the head of a unicorn?”

“Ooooh…” Butter said as she observed the moon.

“That’s where Princess Luna is right now. Someday, the moon will return to normal and Nightmare Moon will come back, but we’ll be ready for her!”

Butter started to laugh and wave her arms around, happy to have seen the moon through the telescope. Nightwatch then handed her to Aurora who held her in her arms.

“Alright buddy,” said Midnight. “I think it’s time you two went to bed.”

“Wait…that’s strange.”

“What is it, Sweetie?” asked Aurora.

“It’s…it’s those stars.”

Nightwatch then used his magic to bring his book back to him and looked closer at the paragraph about the prophecy.

“It says here that the stars will aid in her escape…but it doesn’t say which stars. Mom, Dad, I think I just found something!”

“What is it, son?” asked Midnight.

“These four stars have moved to different spots since the last time I saw them: Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim! They’re moving across the sky on their own! Those must be the stars that will help Nightmare Moon escape! They’re getting closer to the moon with each passing year!”

“Wow, Nighty, great job!” Aurora cheered as Buttercream started to clap.

“I never would have noticed that myself, son! You really are good at this!” Midnight chimed in.

“Hang in there, Princess Luna. You’ll be free someday,” Nightwatch said as he stared up at the four stars and then back to the moon.

He thought deeply as he continued to stare at the moon until he heard his parents both gasp very loudly. He also noticed something had been shining nearby that his parents were clearly reacting to. He turned to look at them both but could not find the source of the shining object. Both of his parents were staring at him and had their jaws hanging wide open. Buttercream appeared very happy and started crawling over to Nightwatch.

“Guys…what’s the matter?” he asked.

“NIGHTY…YOU…YOU JUST GOT YOUR CUTIE MARK!” Aurora squealed.

“WHAT?!”

Nightwatch spun his head back and saw the light had come from his flank. A cutie mark had just appeared with some light still emitting until it finally died out. There was an image of a telescope with several stars and the moon in front of it. His eyes opened wider and the corners of his mouth stretched to form a huge smile.

“MY…MY CUTIE MARK!!”

Nightwatch lost all control and started jumping up and down in circles. He then used his magic to pick up Buttercream and bring her in for a hug. She giggled and hugged him back.

“BUTTER, I DID IT! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!”

“ALRIGHT, NIGHTY!” shouted Midnight as he came in to join the hug with Aurora by his side.

“OH NIGHTY, WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU!!” Aurora said with tears in her eyes.

Everyone hugged tightly as Nightwatch yelped with excitement. He could not contain his enthusiasm.

“I can’t believe I got my cutie mark while I was finding out about the stars that will aid in Nightmare Moon’s escape!” he said. “That must mean those really are the stars! The prophecy is true! I can’t believe I figured it out!”

“What a night this has been.” Aurora sighed, contently.

“I’m just glad I let him stay up later like he asked. I guess some rules really are meant to be broken,” Midnight added while laughing.

They all laughed along with him and then rested themselves on the cool grass. After a few moments, the laughing died down, and they sat still, staring at the night sky together.

“Mom, Dad, I think I know what I’m going to do with my life when I get older,” Nightwatch told them. “I’m going to keep studying the stars and become an astronomer, but I also want to practice my magic more. If the Elements of Harmony are what can stop Nightmare Moon and bring back Princess Luna, I want to learn about them.”

“We’ll support you no matter what, Sweetie,” said Aurora as she reached over and nuzzled her son as he yawned. “Well Midnight, in all our excitement, I think we’ve almost forgotten about putting these two in bed.”

“You’re right, Honey,” Midnight replied. “Alright, you two little goobers. Let’s get you to back to…”

Midnight looked over to his kids to see they had both already fallen asleep and were cuddling up to each other. He and his wife sat up and smiled at the little colt and baby dragon. Aurora quietly used her magic to lift them while Midnight took the book and folded up the telescope.

“Sweet dreams, my little ones,” Midnight said, kissing both of them.

3. The Presentation

The years passed by. Nightwatch grew and learned more about astronomy and plenty of other subjects as a teenager. He maintained high grades and was valedictorian in his graduating class. With Buttercream by his side, he was never lonely. She grew up to be a very cheerful and energetic little dragon and always tagged along with Nightwatch when she had the chance.

Nightwatch was now taking classes at a nearby community college, learning more about astronomy as well as Equestrian history, science, mathematics, writing, and advanced magic. Midnight Hue and Aurora Shine supported him through each and every endeavor. Even Buttercream would tag along with him sometimes at college to help him with his studies or his presentations.

Today was a big day for Nightwatch. With one week away from the Summer Sun Celebration and the predicted date of Nightmare Moon’s return, he had a presentation planned for his astronomy class with Buttercream helping him out. The assignment was to report on astronomic predictions and their accuracy. Nightwatch knew exactly what to research for this project.

“While not many talk of the tale of Nightmare Moon, we all do know that Princess Luna transformed into Nightmare Moon and was imprisoned in the moon by her sister. And what does this have to do with the celestial bodies in the night sky, you might ask? Well there is a prophecy that Nightmare Moon will return one thousand years after the imprisonment. It states that ‘the stars will aid in her escape’. No one has ever been able to decipher this, but I found something years ago when I was just a kid and was out stargazing one night.”

As Nightwatch spoke, Buttercream helped out with the visuals for his project. The tripod easel next to her had several pictures of artwork of the royal sisters and images of Nightmare Moon. The second one had a dark blue felt board representing the night sky and small white dots for the stars and a large disk with the Mare in the Moon to represent the moon. She added in a crooked black line on a stick with four larger white dots. Nightwatch continued.

“Right here we have Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim. They all originated from magic created by an anonymous wizard about two thousand years ago, unlike natural stars that are billions of light-years away and are far bigger. What makes this constellation more interesting is that its four stars are in motion. When I first saw them, I noticed that they’re getting closer to the spot in the sky where the moon will be on the night of Nightmare Moon’s return. I found out later on that these stars have actually been in motion since the time of Nightmare Moon’s banishment, but astronomers didn’t notice it till a few years later when they had moved from their original spot. They’ve covered even more distance in the past few centuries. If you calculate the rate at which they are going, it will put them right where the moon is in conjunction with the moment Nightmare Moon will be released according to the prophecy: 12:00 am June 21st on the thousandth year. That’s right, everypony. These stars are the very stars that will aid in Nightmare Moon’s escape.”

Everyone in the room began to murmur to each other. Buttercream put the stars on the moon and tore off the Mare in the Moon sticker from the white disk. She then took out a small statuette of Nightmare Moon and put it on the table in front of her as Nightwatch finished his presentation.

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but keep in mind that the prophecy does not specify exactly what stars or how many stars will do this, so we are left to figure it out ourselves. With the fact that Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim are moving faster and are already just near the moon, it is safe to say we have decoded the prophecy. Nightmare Moon will return and she’ll be back one week from today.”

Some of the students in the room started to giggle at what he was saying and started whispering into their friend’s ears. Most didn’t seem too convinced by what Nightwatch was saying, but he shrugged it off and continued.

“In conclusion…” he said loudly as everyone quieted down, “…we have a prophecy about to be fulfilled that has to do with four micro-suns beyond our planet and they are rapidly approaching the moon. I urge everyone to check the exact location of the moon in the sky this June 20th and calculate the speed of those stars and where they will end up just as the clock strikes midnight. They’re getting faster and Nightmare Moon’s return won’t be good for us, however, the Elements of Harmony are still out there and they can be used to exorcise Nightmare Moon and bring back the Princess of the Night. Is it all true? We’ll find out next week when summer starts. I believe it though, because figuring this out back when I was just ten years old is how I got this right here.”

Nightwatch turned to the side and looked at his flank to show everyone his cutie mark as Buttercream walked in next to him and stretched her arms out as if to present his cutie mark.

“Thank you for listening to my presentation,” Nightwatch said as he and Buttercream bowed and the other students applauded them.

“Alright. Thank you Nightwatch and his little…um…sister, Buttercream,” said the male unicorn professor off to the side as he got up from a chair and made his way back to his desk. “And that’s the last of our presentations. I’ll have these graded soon and you can come by to collect your report cards on Monday. Everypony have a wonderful summer.”

The students all got up and left the room as Nightwatch and Buttercream started tearing down their presentation set up. After they were finished, Nightwatch walked over to the professor’s desk. Buttercream hopped up and grabbed onto the edge of the desk next to her brother

“So, Mr. Nebula, how’d I do?” Nightwatch asked with a smile on his face.

“Well Nightwatch…I dunno. I’m gonna have to go with a…solid B-”

Nightwatch kept his smile for a brief second until it turned into a frown just as Buttercream did the exact same. He stared in amazement as she started to look angry.

“A B-?” Nightwatch asked.

“What?! Oh come on!” Buttercream blurted out.

“Sir, I’m not sure I deserve a B-. Could you maybe bring it to an A- at least?”

“Nightwatch, look, you’re one of my best students, but I’m afraid you didn’t do enough research for this. The whole theory that those stars are going to be what brings back Nightmare Moon has already been made up before, but it’s just an astrologist’s theory. It doesn’t follow true astronomy.”

“Astrologist’s theory? I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Not only that, but you failed to give enough information on how those stars can do it. Yes, they are stars put in the sky by some unnamed sorcerer from almost two thousand years ago, but that was before Nightmare Moon. Before Princess Luna was even born. The creator of the stars would have to know ahead of time where they’d end up going. There’s no way those stars could be the right ones. Some other stars might do it, but there’s no scientific evidence that it’s Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim.”

“Well Sir, we’re a week away from Nightmare Moon’s return and I’m not seeing other stars get close enough, so how can it not be those four?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the prophecy was off by a few years or maybe it’s going to be stars closer to the moon. The prophecy says ‘the stars will aid in her escape,’ but that’s not specific enough because scientists didn’t make it. The bottom line is, prophecies don’t always come true. Times are different now in Equestria, Nightwatch. I’m afraid I can’t give you enough points that prove you are basing this on science. What you’re talking about is just baseless estimates. Science shouldn’t be about following prophecies or religion.”

“Hey, some prophecies come true!” Buttercream blurted out.

“Easy now, Butter. Mr. Nebula, are you really sure?”

“Look, it was an interesting project about a really intriguing prophecy. I’ll give you that, but I’m afraid I can’t give you an A.”

“Hang on, Nighty. I got this,” Buttercream said as she climbed up on the desk and walked towards the professor.

“Butter, what are you doing?” Nightwatch asked nervously.

“Look, Mister, my brother has spent the past ten years studying the stars and this prophecy, and he got his cutie mark doing it. Granted I was just a baby when that happened, but he and our parents all were there and they’ve told me everything. If you think he’s wrong about all this even though he got his cutie mark right after figuring it out, then you’re gonna be really sorry you didn’t give him an A when Nightmare Moon does come back!”

“Butter, take it easy,”

“Tell you what: if Nightmare Moon does appear next weekend, you give him an A instead. Deal?”

The professor appeared intimidated by the little feisty dragon, but thought about what she had said. He then sighed and put his hooves together.

“Alright, here’s the deal: if Nightmare Moon does return on the exact date you say, I’ll change your grade to 90%. If those exact four stars release her, you get a 95%.”

“And if the Elements of Harmony are actually used to stop Nightmare Moon, he’ll get a 100%.”

“Alright. A 100% if that happens.”

“It’s a deal! You won’t be sorry, Mr. Nebula! We promise!” Buttercream shouted as she reached forward to shake the professor’s hoof with a big smile on her face.

“Yes, well you’d better be right about at least one of these things or that B- is final. Understood?” the professor told Nightwatch, sternly.

“Um…yes, Sir,” Nigthwatch replied, bashfully.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet with the dean.”

“Don’t worry, Nighty,” Buttercream told her brother. “You know your stuff. Everything will happen just as you predicted it.”

“Yeah…hehe…”

As they walked out of the classroom and into the outdoors to head home, carrying the supplies for the presentation, Butter appeared rather happy while Nightwatch did not. The things Mr. Nebula told him about the prophecy being baseless already upset him.

“Well that went really well, Bro! I’m glad you had me come over to…Nightwatch?”

She looked to her brother to see how unhappy he was. He sighed deeply and continued to trudge along with his head down.

“Hey, Nighty, cheer up! So you didn’t get an A on that presentation, but he’ll give it to you once we see everything happen next week!”

“If we see everything happen next week. What if he’s right? What if it’s not those four stars specifically that’ll do it? What if Nightmare Moon doesn’t return? No one will ever be able to befriend Princess Luna and let her know that her sister still loves her and wants to rule with her. Maybe I’ve been barking up the wrong tree this whole time.”

Nightwatch stopped to sit down on a nearby bench while Buttercream joined him to cheer him up.

“Hey, Nightwatch, it’s gonna be fine. I may not get the whole astronomy thing like you do, but you’ve shown me how close all the stars are getting to the moon and I believe it’s gonna happen.”

“Yeah, but you heard what Mr. Nebula told us. He’s got a point about how those stars were placed there before Nightmare Moon. Guess I never thought about that. I’m not concerned about my grade so much, Butter. I’m worried about how the prophecy might not come true…that I may have misinterpreted it.”

“Nighty, you got your cutie mark ten years ago when you noticed Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim had moved and were going closer to the moon. Didn’t you say it happened right after you said it out loud in front of Mom and Dad?”

“Yeah, I noticed it and then I said they must be the stars that will aid in her escape. Mom and Dad congratulated me, and then I just stared up at the moon, and they started freaking out, and then I look back at my flank and see ‘Oh, it’s my cutie mark.’”

“Right! So why would you getting your cutie mark happen if you got the prophecy wrong? You didn’t get it wrong, Nighty! You’re the best astronomer I know and you’re gonna be right about this!”

Buttercream hugged her brother tenderly and he began to smile again as he hugged her back.

“Thanks, Butter,” he said. “I guess you’re right. What we should be more concerned about is how the Elements can stop her. That’s going to be a bigger issue once Nightmare Moon returns.”

“Let’s hope Princess Celestia can use them again!”

“Well, I’m not sure she can do it, but someone out there will. Anyway, let’s go home. Mom and Dad are going to want to hear about that report, but we’ll let them know that Mr. Nebula is willing to give me a better grade.”

“Alrighty, Nighty! Let’s go!”

After getting home, Buttercream walked in the front door first and rushed to find Aurora who was still at home, doing some house-keeping.

“Mom, we’re home!” Butter called.

“Butter! Nighty! How was the presentation?” Aurora asked as she hugged the little dragon.

“Well…” Nightwatch said, bashfully.

“Nighty got a B-!” Butter said, quickly.

“Aw, that’s not so bad!” Aurora told her son as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I know you’re used to A’s, dear, but a lot of students would kill to have a B-. Did Mr. Nebula tell you why he didn’t give you an A?”

“He said I didn’t do enough research to determine those four stars are going to be the right ones. That I’m just estimating and going off of prophecies and religion and stuff.”

“Did you tell him you got your cutie mark when you figured this out?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t buy it. Mr. Nebula’s one of those ‘gotta have all the evidence’ types who don’t believe in prophesies. Apparently this prediction has been made before by some astrologists.”

“Nightwatch, you’re a gifted young stallion. You know the prophecy and you found those stars,” she told him, putting her hoof under his chin. “When Nightmare Moon does return in one week, he’ll regret giving you a B-.”

“Well he told us he’ll give Nighty an A if Nightmare Moon does return and with the help of those four stars! Oh, and he said he’d give him a 100% if someone stops her with the Elements of Harmony!”

“Oh wow! Well I sure hope someone can stop her with the Elements. I certainly have faith they will.”

“Hey Mom, speaking of which: I know you and Dad are gonna be busy that day, but would you be okay if Butter and I head out for the Everfree Overlook for a little trip?”

“That’s fine with me Nighty.”

“Wait…” Buttercream said. “The Everfree Overlook? What are we gonna do there, Bro?”

“Butter, you and I are gonna take a little road trip to that hilltop where we’ll set up my telescope and watch as Ari, Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesarthim all unite to free Nightmare Moon!”

“WOOHOO!! ROADRTRIP!!!” Buttercream shouted joyfully as she bounced up and down and finally landed on her brother’s back to hug him. “This is gonna be the best trip ever, Nighty!”

“Get some of your things around, cuz we’re gonna camp at the top of that hill and maybe even start a fire and cook s’mores!”

“YEEEEES! S’MOOOOOORES!!”

Buttercream’s eyes widened and she started drooling at the thought of eating s’mores. Nightwatch then took out a textbook from his saddlebag and checked some notes he had about the stars and moon for the night of Nightmare Moon’s return. Despite his day not starting off too great with a lower grade for his presentation than he expected, he was already determined to make up for it. He was ready to go on an adventure with his little sister and prove that he decoded one of the most important prophecies of all time.

“I’ve waited practically all my life to see this event, and I’m not gonna miss such an opportunity,” he said.

4. The Cult

A few days after the presentation, it was finally time for Nightwatch and Buttercream to head to the Everfree Overlook. He packed up his telescope, some camping gear and snacks in a small wooden cart to pull behind him during the trip. As he finished packing, Midnight and Aurora walked outside to bid farewell to their kids.

“Nighty, I’m so glad you and your sister are going on this trip. You two are going to have such a great time!” Aurora said as she hugged her son.

“Watch after Butter for us, buddy,” Midnight said as he put his hand on his son’s shoulder before giving him a hug. “And Butter, you keep an eye on him for us.”

“You got it, Dad!” Buttercream said as she saluted her parents before hugging them both.

“Alright, we got the tent? Check. Snack bag? Check. Telescope? Check. Notes and astronomy book? Check…” Nightwatch said as he went down a small list of items important for the trip.

“Come on, Nighty! Let’s go!” said the eager little dragon, tugging on one of his front legs. “By the time you’re done quadruple-checking your list, Nightmare Moon will already be back!”

“Alright, Butter. I guess that’s everything.”

Nightwatch walked in front of the cart and used his magic to strap himself in. Butter hopped on a small seat attached to the front of the cart and stood in a heroic pose, pointing her finger skyward.

“Alrighty, Nighty! ONWARD TO THE OVERLOOK!” she called as Nightwatch started pulling the cart.

“Take care, you two!” called Midnight.

“We’ll be watching the moon tomorrow night and will think of you when it happens!” Aurora added.

“Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!” Buttercream called back.

“Don’t forget to shut off all the clocks after midnight and reset them once everything goes back to normal!” Nightwatch reminded them.

The two unicorn parents watched as the cart continued down the dirt road and disappeared over the hill. They kept watching, listening to Buttercream talking and the creaking of the wheels. Midnight put his arm around Aurora and they finally headed back inside. Nightwatch and Buttercream eventually disappeared past another hill, already far away from their house and off to adventure.

The Everfree Overlook would take about a day to get to not including stopping to rest. Nightwatch knew he would have to stop at a small camping site along the way to pitch the tent and spend the night. The final day of spring would be tomorrow, and he planned to get to the Overlook by afternoon to prepare ahead of time. This wasn’t the first time he would be in this area since he had been to Canterlot for his senior trip before graduating from high school, but it was his first time driving this route. Even so, he had the map and all the supplies he would need in his cart. The drive to the Canterlot area was a very scenic route. Buttercream brought along a camera to take pictures. She simply could not contain her excitement.

“This is just so fun!” she said as she sat on the side of the cart with her legs swinging. “Getting to see a huge prophecy be fulfilled tonight and watch as an ancient evil returns and then hopefully someone stops her with the Elements of Harmony! Can’t wait to see the look on Mr. Nebula’s face when he finds out we were right all along, Nighty!”

“Well Butter, let’s not forget: I’m not doing this for the grade. I’m doing this cuz it’s something I’ve really wanted to see happen ever since I was a kid. Plus I’d really like to see if I can talk to Nightmare Moon or maybe at least see Luna after she’s been saved.”

“So after we see the stars do their thing, should we go looking for Nightmare?”

“Well, there’s a reason why I chose the Everfree Outlook. According to the book I read about the prophecy: the last battle between the royal sisters was somewhere right around Everfree after the palace was destroyed. Celestia used the Elements to send her to the moon in that area, so maybe that’s where Nightmare Moon will return. I wasn’t sure I wanted Mom and Dad to know since they’d think it’s a little dangerous, but I think we’ll be fine.”

“Oh boy! I don’t mind it at all! I know she’ll be dangerous, but I’d love it if we got to see someone go up against her with the Elements!”

“Well that’s another thing, Butter: we may or may not see someone use the Elements to exorcise Nightmare Moon, but it also might not happen for a while. I have faith it will happen eventually, but it could be several days before anything’s done about her. We could be looking at the longest night ever. Literally. Might even have to ride home in the dark.”

“Somebody will stop her. Somebody’s gotta.”

“I know. I’m not sure who will do it, but if anything, we might be able to find them.”

Buttercream hopped off of the cart and walked in next to her brother to get closer to him.

“We’ll figure it out, Nighty. You know everything about Nightmare Moon and I’m sure you’ll find a way to fix it.”

“Thanks, Butter. I’m glad I’ve got you here with me. If I’d never walked a little further into that woods on my tenth birthday, I never would have found your egg and I’d be doing this trip on my own.”

Buttercream hopped on top of Nightwatch’s back and hugged him. She then stood on his back and spoke with confidence.

“We’re unstoppable together, bro. We’ll brave this trip and get to that overlook in one piece, and we’re gonna see that prophecy come true!”

Butter hopped back onto the cart and began to sing of the adventure awaiting them.

Buttercream:

They say you’ve got your head in the clouds

That you’ve gotta move on

To not believe in prophecies

Cuz they’re usually wrong

But I see a gifted unicorn

Who really knows his stuff

We’ll see that prophecy fulfilled

We’re gonna call their bluff

Nightwatch:

I saw those stars in the sky one night

Moving towards the moon

Eternal night awaits us all

It’s gonna happen soon

But we know it will not last

Harmony wins in the end

Princess Luna, fear not

We are your friends

Chorus:

We’re going on an adventure

Gonna go brave the great unknown

Set up our telescope

And get a view of the stars and moon

It’s the chance of a lifetime

There's no one that can stop us now

As long as you're here by my side

We’re going on an adventure!

Buttercream:

Nothing like a good road trip

After a long year of school

Doing something new for once

That’s totally awesome and cool!

Nightwatch:

I’ve got my telescope ready

To see some action in space

It’ll be the event of the century

Wish I could see the look on my face

Chorus:

We’re going on an adventure

Gonna go brave the great unknown

Set up our telescope

And get a view of the stars and moon

It’s the chance of a lifetime

There's no one that can stop us now

So long as we stick together

We’re going on an adventure!

As they continued singing, they stopped at several spots along the way to rest and eventually got to the campgrounds for the night. The next morning, they woke up, packed things away and finished their song as they got closer to the destination.

Nightwatch:

What a time to be alive

I'm nervous, to tell the truth

Buttercream:

Those stars are gonna do it, Nighty

Your cutie mark is proooooooof!

Final Chorus:

We’re going on an adventure

Gonna go brave the great unknown

Watch as that ancient alicorn

Emerges straight from the moon

The Elements will defeat her

There's no force that can stop them now

So long as we have faith

So long as we have courage

So long as we have each other

We’re going on an adventuuuuuuuure!!!

“WHOO!” Buttercream cheered as she let herself fall back into the cart.

She noticed the cart was starting to wobble a little and peeked out to see the dirt road they were on was a lot rockier now. They were in a very dark forest and it was hard to tell what time of day it was.

“Um…Nighty, are we in the right place?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” Nightwatch said as he checked the map. “I mean we’re still going southwest so we’re heading in the right direction, but…oh no.”

“What?”

“I think we took a wrong turn. The road that takes us straight to the Overlook was about a mile back. We’re on some random back road that takes us into the Everfree Forest.”

“We’re in the Everfree Forest? Dangit! I knew I shouldn’t have distracted us with that song!”

“It’s okay, Butter. We’ve probably only delayed ourselves by a few minutes. I’ll just turn us around and head back to the spot where we get back on the road that takes us to the Overlook.”

Nightwatch tried taking a K-turn with his cart but had difficulty since the road was so narrow. He finally found a spot with enough space and managed to turn around.

“Phew! See? Nothing to it. We’ll be at the Overlook in no time,” he said.

Buttercream was happy to see he was already getting them back on track, but then something caught her eye. Off to the side, she saw something in the trees. It looked like a vine or a long tail. She only saw it for a split second as it shrank into the branches and caused some leaves to fall.

“Nighty, did you see that?” she asked, frightened.

“See what?”

“It’s gone now, but I saw some weird tail or something in the tree just now.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Probably some small animal looking for food.”

“Eh, I guess you’re right.”

Nightwatch continued walking along and Buttercream relaxed herself, not worrying about the strange sight from earlier. As she sat in the cart, she heard a hissing sound and something jumping in the branches behind them. She figured it was a squirrel or a bird, but it was getting closer. She turned her head around and just barely caught a glimpse of something jumping into a tree behind them.

“Nighty, there it is again!”

“Butter, what do you see?”

“I don’t know but it’s following us! It looked like it had a long tail like a lizard. It just landed in that tree over there.”

“I don’t see anything right now. Try blowing your fire to scare it away.”

Butter turned around, blew a plume of fire and waited for a moment. The sounds near the tree stopped and the mysterious creature could not be seen anywhere. They both sat still and waited a little longer until it was decided they had scared it off.

“See, what’d I tell you? It’s just some wild animal. It’s probably more scared than you are.”

Buttercream gave her brother a thumbs-up and he continued walking. For the next minute, she didn’t hear the sound anymore and looked back every few seconds at the tree and there was nothing there. She sat back in the cart with her arms behind her head to relax. She started to doze off until she heard something moving along on the forest floor. Some leaves were being riled up and it was headed in their direction. She woke up and looked back to see nothing but could still hear the sound off to the side. Some nearby tall grass was moving and something was slithering through it. It appeared to be a really large snake.

“NIGHTY!”

“Butter, what now?”

A knife shot out of the grass and flew into the side of the cart. Buttercream screeched and Nightwatch jolted.

“ALRIGHT, WE’RE OUTTA HERE!!”

Nightwatch ran as fast as he could and pulled the cart with all his might. Unfortunately, the road was too rocky for him to keep the cart steady, and Buttercream lost her balance. She fell off the cart and tumbled down a bank.

“BUTTERCREAM! I’M COMING!”

Nightwatch stopped the cart and undid himself from it. He slid down the bank and found Buttercream on top of a pile of leaves. He picked her up quickly and dusted her off as she shook her head around.

“Butter, are you okay?”

“I’m fine…did you see it?”

“I didn’t have time to look, but I saw the knife.”

Nightwatch looked around and started shouting to their mysterious visitor.

“Hey! Whoever’s out there, leave me and my sister alone! You hear?”

They both looked up to the top of the bank where Nightwatch had left the cart and saw a tail reach up and pull the knife out. Nightwatch then noticed that the ground beneath them was hard and cold. He brushed the leaves aside and saw something shiny and black.

“Nighty, what are we standing on?”

“Uh oh.”

Bars moved up around them and a lid hanging from a tree branch was lowered on top of them. They had fallen into a trap and were now in a cage.

“AGH! Nighty, what is this?!”

“It’s a trap! Hang on, Butter, I got this!”

Nightwatch charged up his magic and shot a beam from his horn. It was the most powerful offensive spell he knew how to use, but it did no good. Butter tried to use her fire to soften the bars, but it had the same effect. The metal of this cage was impenetrable. Nightwatch grabbed onto the little dragon and tried using a teleportation spell. He flashed with light but reappeared right in the cage as the bars jolted with electricity. The cage had cancelled out his spell.

“Even a teleportation spell isn’t enough? Just what kind of metal is this?”

“Nighty, look!”

Butter pointed to the side and the grass started moving as their mysterious captor slithered towards them. He finally made it out of the grass and into the open. Before them was a large green cobra with orange irises and slit pupils. He wore a black western hat, a red scarf, and a black shirt underneath with a belt. He had the knife wrapped up in the end of his tail and used it like a toothpick before giving a wicked smile. He holstered the knife in his belt and slithered around the cage while sticking his forked tongue out to smell his prey.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” said the cobra in a deep western accent. “A unicorn and a baby dragon. That’s a first.”

“Hey, what do you want with us, Mister Cobra?” Buttercream demanded.

“The name’s Dagger. I’m a bounty hunter from Kludgetown.”

“Dagger, eh? Well that explains the knife.”

“Please, Mr. Dagger, sir, we were just on our way to the Everfree Overlook. We meant no harm. Can you let us out of here?” Nightwatch pleaded.

“Everfree Overlook? What in Equestria are you little brats gonna do over there?”

“We just wanted to go camping up there.”

“Well you might be surprised to know that place is already being occupied tonight.”

“Occupied? By who?”

Nightwatch then heard sounds behind him and looked back to see silhouettes moving in from every direction. As they got closer, he could see they appeared to be ponies in cloaks with their hoods up. The cloaks were all navy blue with white dots and were tied together by a black brooch with a white crescent moon in the center. They were all wearing dark sunglasses underneath their hoods.

“What were they doing, Dagger?” asked a pony with a grey beard and a purple coat.

“Walking around with that cart. You wanted me to capture anyone who came this way, right?”

“That is correct. What is in the cart, Nox?”

“Nothing, Tenebris. Just a bunch of camping equipment, some snacks and a telescope,” said a tall, grey stallion in his own cloak, looking through Nightwatch’s belongings.

“Just what are you two doing out here? Nopony comes into the Everfree Forest to camp,” Tenebris asked them.

“Sir, we were heading to the Everfree Overlook but we took a wrong turn. I was just trying to get us back on track,” Nightwatch explained.

“The Everfree Overlook? That’s where we’re headed!” shouted a cloaked mare with a dark magenta coat.

“Now, now, Oscura,” Tenebris said, calming her down. “Look, me and my people are camping there ourselves. We’re gathering to witness the return of Nightmare Moon.”

“Wait… you guys are gonna watch the stars and the moon tonight too?” Buttercream asked.

“We have been waiting for this moment all our lives,” said a grey mare, walking in on the other side. “Our goddess Nightmare Moon has been trapped for an entire millennium and we have all seen the signs. The stars Ari, Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim will all come to the moon tonight to aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”

“You…you’ve seen the signs too?!” Nightwatch said as his eyes widened and he smiled. “OH. MY. SWEET CELESTIA!!”

Some of the ponies were disgusted at hearing what Nightwatch just said, but Nightwatch was too busy to notice as he was freaking out.

“I’m sorry, it’s just I’ve never met anyone else aside from my own family that believes me! I’ve spent all my life studying this prophecy and I got my cutie mark when I found out those exact four stars are going to meet with the moon in conjunction with the thousand-year mark which happens tonight!”

Nightwatch stopped to take a breath after talking so fast. Buttercream smiled and calmed him down by patting him on the side.

“There, there, Nighty,” she said. “Sorry, my brother and I are just really excited for this night to happen.”

“So you also believe in the prophecy,” said Noctura. “Then why did you just utter the words ‘Sweet Celestia’?! UGH!”

The ponies all began hissing, spitting on the ground and moving their hooves to make crescent shapes in front of their faces as if to ward off evil spirits. Nightwatch even noticed that most of them had sharp fangs.

“IN THE NAME OF THE MOTHER OF NIGHT, PURIFY US OF THESE CURSED WORDS!” shouted Nox as he performed a strange ritual dance and chanted in a foreign language.

“Uh…are you guys okay?” Nightwatch asked, confused.

“NO WE ARE NOT OKAY!” snapped Oscura. “How dare you say such uplifting words about that wicked tyrant, Celestia! Tenebris, they should be punished for this!”

“SHHHH! Oscura, please!” Tenebris said, putting his hoof on the angry mare’s shoulder before turning back to their captives. “Look, you two. You appear to have a very different view of things than we do. We are all members of the Cult of Eternal Night. Our ancestors have waited for the return of Nightmare Moon for a thousand years. As Noctura stated earlier, we worship her. We have heard the prophecy and saw the signs. Now that the night of reckoning is upon us, we are preparing for it. If you couldn’t already tell, we do not appreciate when anypony speaks kind words of her evil sister Princess Celestia, but I can see you are unfamiliar with our ways, so I will not let any of my disciples harm you. Just consider yourselves warned.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” Nightwatch said, bashfully.

“Tenebris, we might as well just off these two,” Dagger told the cult leader, taking out his knife. “After all, they might give away your plans and then-”

“DAGGER!!” shouted Tenebris. “Be silent and put away that weapon! I will not allow anyone to commit such an act of violence near our sacred grounds and I did not hire you to dictate me!”

“Geez. Sorry,” Dagger said as he put his knife away.

“What is going on over here?!” shouted a loud voice from behind a tree.

In walked a huge black bull with sharp, curved horns and a silver nose ring. He wore a collar with small round bells hanging from it and a larger cattle bell in the center. Next to him was a gray goat with upright horns. He was also wearing a collar with bells but didn’t have a large one in the center. Nightwatch noticed they both had small orange brooches on their collars with a curly red V in the center. He had missed it earlier, but Dagger was wearing the same brooch on his shirt, indicating they were part of whatever group he belonged to. The Bull appeared agitated while the goat was just confused.

“Dagger, what happened now?” asked the goat.

“Bellow, Bleat, we just found these two kids wandering around in our territory,” Dagger replied.

“What are you foolish children doing here?!” asked the bull, who was likely the one named ‘Bellow.’ He looked suspiciously at Nightwatch and Buttercream and snorted from his nostrils.

“Bellow, please. Don’t cause a scene just yet,” Bleat said, pulling on Bellow’s arm. “Both of you state your business.”

“I’m Nightwatch, this is Buttercream. We didn’t want to cause any trouble. We just wanted to see the stars and moon tonight when Nightmare Moon returns,” Nightwatch said.

“Cultists, are you alright with this?” Bellow asked, turning to the crowd.

“They’ll be fine, so long as they respect our ritual on the Overlook tonight,” said Tenebris. “We don’t’ mind if they watch through that telescope. It won’t matter once Nightmare Moon has returned anyway.”

“Telescope?” asked Bleat. “Wait, are you children astronomers?”

“Um…yeah. I am. My little sister here is tagging along,” Nightwatch said as he and Butter hugged each other, smiling nervously.

“Sister?”

“Adoptive. He found my egg in a forest a while ago,” Buttercream said, cheerfully.

“I see. Well how is it you came to know of Nightmare Moon’s arrival? Or more specifically, how did you know about the stars?”

“Well I got my cutie mark when I found out it was going to be Ari, Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim that would be the ones to free her tonight. I’ve been trying to tell other ponies all this time, but no one aside from my family believes me, not even my own astronomy professor.”

Bellow and Bleat stared at each other in shock. They then turned away and started whispering to each other. Dagger joined in.

“Well, Tenebris, maybe we should just let these two go. I mean, they can’t do us any harm,” Noctura said to her master.

“No!” snapped Bellow as he turned back around. “Leave them to us. Our master may have use of the unicorn. We will keep him for now.”

“Wait, what?!” shouted Nightwatch.

“Your master? Pfft!” Noctura teased Bellow. “What use does he have of this young unicorn and his adoptive dragon sister? Do you really think it’s going to matter when our goddess returns tonight?”

“Be careful, young one,” Bellow grumbled. “Eternal night is not the end-all-be-all.”

“Look, bovine, I know you’re still attached to your own religion, but you’ve waited far too long for him to return. Me and my cult will be victorious tonight. We’ve seen the signs. What have you seen?”

Bellow’s horns glowed red and he picked up Noctura by her neck with his magic. He roared in her face, which flipped her hood back, revealing green and yellow hair and long fluffy ears.

“SILENCE, CRETIN!! If you dare speak ill of my Lord again, you may just face my wrath sooner than his! The only reason we are helping you tonight is because it will pave the way for our agenda! My Lord will also return and your precious Nightmare Moon will bow before him! I will not tolerate another cross word about him or the Brotherhood! IS THAT CLEAR?!”

Bellow’s voice boomed loudly as he shouted in her face one last time. Noctura was completely helpless. Even the other cultists backed away in fear.

“YES!” Noctura yelped as she pulled her hood back and readjusted her sunglasses.

Bellow snorted in her face and dropped her to the ground. He stormed off with Bleat and Dagger following him closely. Several cultists rushed in to help Noctura up. Nightwatch and Buttercream both huddled up on the other end of the cage, frightened by what they just saw. Buttercream was shivering and huddled up to her brother as he held her close to him.

“Is he gone?” she whimpered.

“He’s gone,” Nightwatch replied.

“Everyone, perhaps we should make one last sweep of the preparations,” Tenebris told his followers.

“Uh…wait, you guys aren’t just going to let them keep us in here are you?” Nightwatch asked as the cultists walked away.

“There is nothing we can do for you,” Nox told him.

“Your fate is with the Brotherhood now,” Oscura added.

“Brotherhood? Brotherhood of what? Hello? Somepony? Noctura, you seem nice. Could you get us out of here?”

“This is obsidian metal, Nightwatch,” Noctura explained to him. “The Brotherhood insisted we capture anyone coming through here, and I’m not arguing with that blasted steer again. Nightmare Moon will take care of him later.”

“Wait, Noctura, what’s up with those guys? And how did you and your friends get a hold of obsidian metal? Noctura?”

Nightwatch tried to get her attention but Noctura had already walked away.

“Me and my big mouth,” Buttercream said, crossing her arms and sitting down. “If I could’ve just finished my song a little earlier, we wouldn’t have taken that wrong turn.”

“It’s okay, Butter. We’ll find a way out of here. I promise,” Nightwatch said, hugging Buttercream.

Elsewhere in the forest, Bellow, Bleat and Dagger had all gathered in secret by a large rock to return to their dark business. Bleat reached into a case and took out an orb. He placed it on a nearby stone and cast a spell on it with his horns. The orb started to glow. Inside of it appeared a donkey wearing a cloak and covering most of his face with the hood.

“Bleat. How are things?” the donkey asked in a raspy voice.

“Bray, we’ve helped the cultists remove the Elements,” Bleat told his boss.

“Good. Do they suspect anything?”

“No.”

“Then you know what to do. Go find the Elements and return to the castle as soon as possible. Do it while they’re in the middle of their ritual on the hilltop. They will be distracted. Once Nightmare Moon appears, ready the Golem and wait for her defeat.”

“Are you sure the Golem will work, Bray?” Bellow asked, glancing at a large machine off to the side.

“No, Bellow, I’m only hoping it will work. That’s why we must do this tonight. It could be enough magic to power the Golem, but we shall see.”

“Very well then. It will be done.”

“Hey, Boss?” said Dagger “I caught this unicorn and a little baby dragon he was tagging along with earlier in the obsidian cage. The unicorn apparently knows about the four stars freeing Nightmare Moon tonight and unlike everyone else, he knows them by name.”

“Does he now? Is he aware of their origins or what the Brotherhood is even here for?”

“He didn’t say anything about the origins, I think he just knows what the cultists know. And no, we didn’t say anything about our plans except that we’re helping the Cult tonight."

“Do you think we should keep him in case he may have useful knowledge, Bray?” asked Bleat.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Just get those Elements of Harmony right back where they belong before the Cultists see you. New wielders need to find them quickly and then finish the job. Any further questions?”

“No, I guess we’re as ready as ever.”

“Excellent. I should be over there later tonight. Contact me with the orb again if the Golem is ready before I arrive. Good luck to you all and may Grogar’s spirit guide our steps.”

Author's Note

Click here for the music to We're Going on an Adventure: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14kNrWXphmZ07Jg-G22YCxNY6qAOOkasb/view?usp=sharing

Piano ver: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VXMeF9F6vabCVj5t03YHbgD24r94JWNc/view

6. Nightmare Moon Returns!

Several hours passed. The bat ponies all chanted in a strange creepy incantation as the four stars started to magnetize to the moon and midnight rapidly approached. Nightwatch was using his telescope, while Buttercream used a spyglass that he gave her for her birthday a few years ago.

“Nighty, look how fast they’re moving!” she said, pointing to the night sky.

“I know! It’s really going to happen after all!” Nightwatch shouted as he looked through the lens. “We have about five minutes left!”

“I can’t believe it’s finally coming,” said Noctura. “All my life I’ve wondered if Nightmare Moon really would return, and now those stars are moving faster than predicted.”

“NOCTURA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU ARE GOING TO MISS THE RITUAL!” shouted Oscura.

“I’M COMING!” Noctura shouted back to her. “Sorry, but I should go. The others really need me to be part of this ceremony. I still don’t know why though.”

“You sure you don’t wanna watch it with us?” Buttercream asked.

“I would love to, but if I don’t do what they’re doing right now, they will never forgive me.”

Noctura trudged back to the cult. Buttercream felt bad for her but looked back into the spyglass.

“Nighty, this is so exciting! What do you think will happen to the moon once the stars touch it?”

“I’m not sure, but I think the ‘Mare in the Moon’ will disappear and then maybe the stars will too. It does still make me wonder about who created those stars though. Whoever did it either knew about Luna’s heel turn hundreds of years in advance or else they were still around and decided to use them to free Nightmare Moon. Mr. Nebula did have a point about how that didn’t make sense, but now that we’re actually seeing it all happen, that makes it even more mysterious. We’ll worry about that later. Right now, this prophecy being true is going to shock a lot of astronomers!”

“You’re sure to get a 100% on your presentation now!”

“Well only if Nightmare Moon is defeated. Let’s hope and pray.”

The chanting of the bat ponies grew more intense. Some of them took to the skies and flew around in a synchronized pattern. The ones on the ground waved wooden torches and tapped their hooves. Others off to the side banged on drums and played instruments as the ritual continued. Tenebris walked in the middle of a circle next to the fire. He removed his cloak and threw his shades into the fire, revealing maroon eyes. He had a necklace with an image of the moon and four stars. His hair was slicked back and was as grey as his beard. He opened his bat wings and began reciting lines from a book he was carrying.

“For a thousand years, the chiropterequi have waited for Mother Moon to return. We have been plagued by the sun each day and tolerated that vicious monarch in the city on the mountainside, but it will no longer matter, for tonight, all shall tremble at the sight of Nightmare Moon. She will take revenge on her evil sister and will bring about nighttime eternal. The blinding sun will never rise again in Equestria and the bat ponies shall thrive like never before. We shall conquer this land and no one shall question the Mother of the Night!”

Buttercream grew frightened over Tenebris’ words and had to speak up to Nightwatch.

“Nighty, these bat ponies are starting to creep me out. Do you think they’re serious about all that?” she whispered.

“I wouldn’t worry about them, Butter. We both know Nightmare Moon will be defeated,” he replied.

“I hope it’s soon. I know Noctura’s nice, but I don’t know about the others.”

Buttercream returned to her viewing. The bat ponies continued to holler and speak in gibberish. The closer the stars got, the louder they screamed. Buttercream soon forgot about them and watched as the stars came just to the edge of the moon.

“It’s happening!” she squealed.

Finally the stars touched the moon and the bat ponies were all silent. For a moment, the moon shone brightly and then the spots in the shape of an alicorn head disappeared. The moon was back to normal now, and the ‘Mare in the Moon’ could no longer be seen. After the silence, the bat ponies joined each other in a unified, cacophonic screech. Buttercream jumped up and down and Nightwatch backed away from his telescope in disbelief.

“NIGHTY! IT HAPPENED! IT HAPPENED, IT HAPPENED, IT HAPPENED!”

“I…I can’t believe it. I was right! I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! I KNEW IT! MY CUTIE MARK WASN’T LYING!!”

Nightwatch picked his little sister up with his magic and danced around while spinning her through the air. She giggled with delight and flailed her arms. Nightwatch set her back down and she tackled him to the ground.

“I knew you’d be right, Nighty!”

“This is the most exciting thing ever!”

The bat ponies continued to screech and holler in joy, until a deep feminine laugh could be heard echoing across the land. A cloud of purple smoke descended slowly from the moon down into a small village nearby.

“Was…was that her?” Buttercream asked.

“I think so. I wonder why she’s going to Ponyville,”

“IT WORKED!” shouted Tenebris. “OUR LADY HAS COME! ALL CHIROPEREQUUS REJOICE!”

The bat ponies took the rest of their shades and threw them into the fire. They would no longer need them, so they took pleasure in seeing them consumed by the flames. Noctura had a smile on her face but did not take part in the hollering like the others. She walked over to Nightwatch and Buttercream.

“It has been done,” she said. “She’s finally here.”

“So what will you do now?” asked Nightwatch.

“The only thing I can do: my clan and I shall help Nightmare Moon build her new empire and take revenge on Celestia.”

“But what about everypony else? Will the bat ponies hurt them?” Buttercream asked.

“There will be no need for that, so long as everyone submits to Nightmare. That includes both of you.”

Nightwatch and Buttercream shared nervous glances. Nightwatch turned his head to Noctura and told his new friend something he was scared to say earlier but that she needed to hear.

“Noctura, I know you don’t want to hear this, but the Elements will be used again. They’re more powerful than you think. Nightmare Moon won’t stand a chance against them.”

Noctura grimaced and looked away from Nightwatch, trying to hold in her anger. She refused to believe this, but she did not want to insult her new friends. Unfortunately, someone else had heard what Nightwatch said.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, FOOL?!” shouted Oscura behind him.

Nightwatch turned around and saw Oscura and several other bat ponies behind her. They all looked like they were ready to fight.

“HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST OUR QUEEN WILL BE DEFEATED!!” screamed one of them.

“SHAME UPON YOU, INFIDEL!” shouted another.

“SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!” screamed the rest of them.

Buttercream huddled up to her brother in horror. He covered her with his arms and cast a spell to use a magic shield around them. Noctura stood in front of them, trying to calm down her fellow cultists. Finally Tenebris came in, scolding the rest of them.

“ENOUGH!” he shouted as they all backed away. “I will deal with them.”

Tenebris walked to Nightwatch and Buttercream with a stern face.

“Tenebris, please, let them be. They don’t know any better,” Noctura begged.

“Noctura, step aside,” Tenebris ordered.

Noctura reluctantly walked backwards with her ears down.

“Father Tenebris, should we brand them and make them recite the pledge?” asked Oscura with a smile on her face for the first time.

“No, Oscura. This is a happy night for us all. Let’s not waste our time.”

Oscura frowned and stomped off as the others backed away while Tenebris turned to Nightwatch and Buttercream.

“Now that Nightmare Moon has returned, you fools best watch what you say about our queen. The Elements of Harmony will not defeat her. We have all made sure of it.”

“Uh…you have?” Nightwatch asked as his ears perked up. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nightmare Moon’s coming shall no be interrupted. Anyone who tries to go up against her must go through-”

“THE ELEMENTS! THEY’VE BEEN TAKEN!” shouted a voice behind the bat ponies.

Everyone turned to see Nox run in to meet them. His eye was black and one of his wings was crippled, so he had to travel on foot.

“Nox? What happened to you?” Oscura said, rushing over to help him up.

“Did you say the Elements have been taken? By who?” Tenebris asked.

“It was the Brotherhood! They betrayed us and took the Elements out of the chest! I think they returned them to the palace! I didn’t stand a chance!”

“TRAITORS!! Tenebris, we must stop them!” Oscura said to her leader.

“I knew we should have shattered those orbs before the ritual! Everyone, get back to the camp and arm yourselves! We will find those fools and make them pay!”

All the bat ponies except Noctura flew off and left for their camp to retrieve their weapons and take on the Brotherhood. Noctura stood and thought for a moment and then looked back to Nightwatch and Buttercream.

“Noctura, you…you and the other cultists took the Elements?” Nightwatch said, firmly.

“Yes. Yes, we did.”

“Nocti, why?” asked Buttercream.

“Why wouldn’t we? You’ve known us all long enough to know we will stop at nothing to see our queen rule all. The Elements were in the palace and we removed them so no one would find them and use them against her.”

“Noctura, do you have any idea how much this will harm the rest of us if Nightmare Moon isn’t exorcised?” Nightwatch asked as he bravely walked towards the bat pony. “Eternal Night means no sunlight. That means the plants will stop growing, the land will freeze over and some species will die out!”

“Nightmare Moon will take care of that. She is powerful. She will find a way. The rest of the ponies may evolve into bat ponies as well to adapt to eternal night. It is the only way your species can survive.”

“Noctura, please put aside what the cult believes right now and just think about the rest of us!”

“NO! NO I WILL NOT!”

Noctura got up in Nightwatch’s face and hissed. He reared and walked backwards as Buttercream hid behind him.

“I will not put aside my religion! I am fond of you two, but I have been waiting for this night all my life and I will not let you ruin it for me. I am going to go help my kin. Do NOT get in my way!”

Noctura spread her wings and took off to join the others, leaving her friends behind.

“Nighty, we’re gonna stop them, aren’t we?” Buttercream asked.

“Of course we are! Hop on, Butter! We’ll find the Elements while they take on the Brotherhood. If we get there first, we’ll take all five of the orbs and get them to Canterlot. Hopefully the royal guards will be able to protect them until Celestia can find new wielders. According to this map, the palace should be…this way!”

“Would it be weird if I said I’m actually rooting for the Brotherhood right now?”

“No, because so am I.”

Nightwatch left all his belongings behind and took off with Buttercream riding his back. He carried the map with him using his magic and disappeared into the woods, taking a different route so they would go unnoticed.

The bat ponies flew above the treetops, surveying the forest to find Bleat, Bellow and Dagger. They were armed with small bladed weapons attached to their front legs and some were wearing helmets and shields. Tenebris had on some armor that he intended to use for ceremonies when he would one day work for Nightmare Moon, but he needed them for battle now.

“Anything, Oscura?” Tenebris asked over his shoulder.

“Nothing yet,” she called back.

“Keep searching. They most likely went to the palace to place them back in the pedestal. If we cannot find them, we’ll go check the palace and then destroy the orbs.”

“FATHER TENEBRIS! DOWN THERE!” shouted another bat pony.

They all looked and saw the Brotherhood walking in a small clearing. Bellow and Bleat immediately looked up. Their horns started glowing, and Dagger slithered away to hide in a tree.

“We trusted you!” shouted Tenebris. “Let us aside and you will not get hurt!”

“IDIOTS! YOU WILL NOT PASS!” Bellow roared as he charged up his horns with red magic.

Several bat ponies flew towards the raging bull. He shot a beam from the tips of his horns that met together to form a more powerful beam. They dodged the beam just in time, but one was knocked back and left unconscious, falling into a tree.

Bleat back-flipped to evade a spear that was thrown right at him. He landed on the side of a large, steep rock and climbed up it. The bat ponies were not ready and two of them flew too close to the rock. Bleat jumped between them while screeching and did a spinning kick to both of their faces. They fell to the ground in a heap. Another bat pony charged Bleat, but Bleat stood his ground and allowed the bat pony to ram right into his head. Being a goat, Bleat was unaffected, while the bat pony was knocked out instantly from the impact and tossed aside with Bleat’s magic.

Back on the ground, several bat ponies tried to corner Bellow until something leapt out of the trees behind them. They looked back to see Dagger right in front of the moon holding several knives in his curled tail. As he fell to the earth, he swung his tail and threw the knives right at them. Two of them jumped to avoid the knives, while the other one blocked it with his bladed gauntlet. Dagger landed in front of him and took out another knife to engage in close combat. The bat pony was well trained, but Dagger was quick with a blade as well and proved to be a nuisance.

Bellow shot a beam at the bat pony that was fighting Dagger, and he was thrown into the rock that Bleat was standing on. Bleat jumped down and fought using his horns against a bat pony with a spear while Bellow bucked several of them with his rear legs. He started running at full-tilt speed, smashing into any oncoming opponents. Finally, the remaining bat ponies stopped fighting and flew up to meet each other in midair. Fighting the Brotherhood was doing them no good.

“Where are the Elements?!” asked an angered Tenebris.

“We destroyed them!” Bleat answered.

“Liar! One of our guards said he saw you taking them back to the palace!”

“Well you’re not getting them back!” shouted Bellow.

“I don’t know why you wish to see our Lady defeated, but that ram is dead, fools! He is not coming back! Submit to Nightmare Moon or perish!” Tenebris hollered.

Bellow was about to blast them until he was interrupted.

“AHEM!” said a raspy voice from behind. “I’ll take it from here, brothers.”

The bat ponies all looked back to see a cloaked figure standing atop a cliff. Before any of them could lay a hoof on him, he cast a spell by tapping his hooves on the ground in a pattern. An explosion of energy emitted from him and hit all of the bat ponies. They were paralyzed and fell to the ground. Bleat, Bellow and Dagger were left unaffected.

“Bray! Thank the Ram you found us!” Bleat called.

Bray tapped his left hoof two times on the ground and teleported in front of them. He threw back his hood, revealing an orange cowl with some holes for his long ears to poke through. Around his neck was a necklace with the same brooch that the others had. He smiled wickedly at them.

“I told you I would arrive. I saw the moon the moment it happened and the bat ponies’ screeching wasn’t difficult to locate,” he said.

“Bray, we put the Elements back, but these fools will awaken soon,” Bellow told the donkey.

“We should probably just take them to Princess Celestia and pretend we’re on her side. I’ll do it. I’m a bounty hunter, maybe she’ll think I was paid by one of her guards,” Dagger said.

“That won’t be necessary, Dagger. I have utmost faith the new wielders are already on their way to find those orbs right as we speak. They will stop Nightmare Moon, and then the Golem will be brought to life.”

“How so?” asked Bleat.

“There are six mares traveling to the palace right now. They are young and naïve, but I just witnessed one of them tame a wild manticore. I think that one might be the Element of Kindness.”

“The Element of Kindness?” asked Bellow.

“Shhh! Do you hear that?” Bleat whispered.

They all stopped and heard faint screaming in the distance, followed by laughter.

“Pinkie, what are you doing? Run!” shouted one of the voices.

“Oh girls, don’t you see?” said another voice in a rather happy tone.

The laughter then turned into singing. They all ran towards the noise about a hundred yards. They reached the edge of a precipice and listened harder.

“What in the name of the Ram is going on down there?” asked Bellow.

“What is this, a musical?” asked Dagger as he covered both sides of his head with his tail.

“QUIET! Listen.” whispered Bray.

Soooooo, giggle at the ghostly

Guffaw at the grossly

Crack up at the creepy

Whoop it up with the weepy

Chortle at the kooky

Snortle at the spooky

And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he’s got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna AHAHAHAHA…haha…ha…

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!

Bray peered in between some trees to see six colorful mares in a grove. A pink one with curly, magenta hair was dancing around and singing while the others were laughing at some trees. The trees had monstrous faces, but the faces started to puff away into magic smoke as they laughed. The pink one finished her song and they all lay on the ground, laughing with her.

“And that one must be the Element of Laughter. Interesting,” said Bray, stroking his chin.

“Those girls are the ones?” asked Bleat.

“Undoubtedly. It all makes sense now. Celestia set this up so those six would find the Elements and free her sister.”

“Bray, we shouldn’t allow those ponies to brandish the Elements of Harmony. They could become a hindrance to our plans,” whispered Bellow.

“I beg to differ. I think they will do exactly what needs to be done. That is why we will leave them alone. Let them fight. Let the battles ensue and allow the Elements of Harmony to keep being used over and over again. Let all that magic flow throughout the airwaves.”

“Of course. Just as the prophecy stated it would!” Bleat said with a sinister smile.

“And then our master will be free,” Bellow added as he finally started to crack a smile.

“You animals and your prophecies,” Dagger said, sarcastically.

“Just you wait, Dagger,” Bray told the cobra. “I know you don’t care about what we are fighting for right now, but if you want anarchy in this pathetic land, it is exactly what you will get should the Ram return, and mark my words, he will return. But I digress. Allow those little ones to go do their deeds. We need to prepare the Golem. I have a feeling it will happen any moment now.”

Bray and his minions turned away to go back to their dark business. They left all the bat ponies on the ground, still paralyzed from the spell, but in the shadows, Noctura remained unharmed. She had been avoiding the fight all along and now had the opportunity to destroy the Elements herself.

“I hope they’re okay,” she said, looking at her fellow cultists on the ground. “Now is my chance to save Nightmare Moon and prove myself worthy.”

7. The Elements

Nightwatch ran through the forest as quickly as he could with Buttercream on his back. Although the moon was full, it was hard to see in areas shaded by trees, so he used his horn to light the way. Once he got to a clear spot, he could see the castle ruins in the distance. He stopped on the edge of a small cliff right in front of a river.

“There’s the castle! Could you teleport us there, Nighty?” Buttercream asked.

“Sadly no. I have to know what the place I’m going to looks like and I can’t see the inside of that castle or the front entrance. They don’t hurt as badly if I go short distance, so I guess I could at least teleport us to the other side of this riv-AAAGGGHHH!!”

The ground beneath them gave away and the cliff started to crumble. Nightwatch tried to teleport to safety, but he couldn’t do it with Buttercream since she had separated from him in all the commotion. They both plunged into the river. Thankfully none of the rocks had fallen on them, so they swam to the top, coughing and sputtering.

“Butter?! BUTTER! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Nightwatch called.

“OVER HERE!” Buttercream responded from behind.

She swam over to Nightwatch just as she felt something underneath her feet. The water started getting shallow, but they quickly realized the water wasn’t receding; something was pushing them up underneath. They both looked down and saw a large purple object with a scaly texture. The thing they were standing on was curved and cylindrical almost like it was shaped like a piece of elbow macaroni. They looked to one side and saw another scaly body emerging from the water followed by a tail. Suddenly, something far bigger emerged behind them. They looked back and saw the silhouette of a large snake-like monster in front of the moon with glowing eyes. It had two thin arms with claws, fins and spikes on its head and two large tusks coming out of its snout. It did not appear friendly at first, but it quickly moved to the side to allow the moon to shine on it and show what it really looked like. It was a purple male sea serpent with slick orange hair. The spikes and tusks were actually just his mane and mustache. He appeared very friendly and looked concerned for his two visitors. He put one hand to his chest and the other against his cheek as he retracted his claws and spoke to them.

“Oh my goodness! I am soooo sorry! I didn’t’ see you there! Are you two alright?” he asked in a flamboyant voice.

“Uh…yeah, we’re okay. Sorry about that, sir. My sister and I were just trying to cross this river.” Nightwatch said, nervously.

“Oh, well in that case, I’m sorry if I scared you! I know I probably don’t look that friendly at first being…you know, a sea monster and all, but I would never hurt a pony or an adorable little baby dragon.”

“Nighty…” said Butter as she stared at the serpent in amazement. “is…is that a dragon?!”

“Oh, yes indeed, Honey! Technically sea-dwelling serpents are one type of draconic species. We happen to be of the Eastern variety. Most of us have four legs and breathe fire. I have just two arms and breath ice, but I still have the fabulous hairdo and exquisite mustache we males tend to grow. Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“NIGHTY, WE’VE MET OUR FIRST DRAGON!!” Buttercream squealed with excitement.

“Wow. I didn’t think other dragons lived in Equestria,” Nightwatch said. “I found her egg a while ago and hatched it, and my parents adopted her.”

“Aw, how sweet! I’m glad to see some ponies and dragons are still getting along!” said the serpent.

“I’m Buttercream and this is my big brother, Nightwatch. What’s your name?” Buttercream asked.

“My name is Steven. My friends like to call me Steven Magnet, because, well I guess they think I’m attractive or something.”

Steven put one hand on his hip and combed his mane back with his other hand as he struck a pose. Buttercream giggled.

“Okay, well it was great meeting you, Steven. Would you mind helping us to cross this river? We have something really important we need to go do on the other end of the forest.”

“Oh, but of course! Let me get that for you real quick.”

Steven ducked down in the water and flattened out his body as best he could. Nightwatch lifted Butter onto his back with his magic and carefully traversed the meandering, scaly path. Once he got close to the edge, he jumped down safely onto the ground. Steven lifted his head from the water to bid them farewell.

“There we go. Be careful out there, and I hope to see you two again some day!”

“Bye, Steven!” Buttercream said as she waved her hand.

“Thanks for the lift! We’ll be careful!” Nightwatch called as he started running back into the forest.

“Such charming kids,” Steven said, tenderly. “I hope they’ll be alright in the forest.”

Suddenly, a small cloud of sparkly, purple smoke snuck up behind Steven. He turned his head to look and saw the smoke rush towards him at high speeds. He closed his eyes and put his arms around his head. All he heard was the sound of something being cut as if a sword had been swung, but he felt nothing. He opened one of his eyes and saw the purple smoke disappear into the trees.

“Well now. What in the world was that?”

Just as he spoke, he noticed the right side of his mustache had fallen off, leaving behind only a small fraction of his hair on the tip of his snout. Several strands of it fell into the water before he could even catch them.

“OOOOH! Not my beautiful mustache! Why oh why would that little purple thing do that?! I feel so incomplete, so lopsided, so asymmetrical! WHAT A WORLD!!”

The poor sea serpent went into a tizzy and threw himself into the river, causing the water to splash about. His tail kept swinging up and down as he pounded the waves in despair. Buttercream heard his crying and looked back.

“Aw, Nighty, something’s wrong with Steven! Should we go check on him?” she asked.

“Butter, there’s no time for that!” Nightwatch told her. “We have to get to the castle before the bat ponies do!”

Noctura flew quietly through the forest, avoiding some hanging vines and branches as she went. She did not need to worry about seeing since bat ponies had excellent vision and could see in the dark. She finally reached a cliff where there was a rope bridge across a chasm and the castle entrance was not far off. Before her was the old Everfree Palace where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna once lived and ruled together. The palace was mostly destroyed during their duel before Luna was banished to the moon. Noctura was already familiar with this place since she and the other cultists had entered earlier that morning to steal the Elements. She flew into the front door and saw that the five Elements had indeed been returned by the Brotherhood.

“Those fiends,” she grumbled. “How dare they try to undo Nightmare Moon’s return. If I’m the only one here, then I guess it’s my duty now to destroy these things where they stand.”

Noctura flew up to grab one of the orbs from the pedestal they had been placed on. Before she could lift it, she heard a voice call her from behind.

“NOCTURA, STOP!!”

She looked back and saw Nightwatch and Buttercream enter through the door.

“Nightwatch, don’t try stopping me!” she hollered.

“Nocti, please! This isn’t right!” Buttercream begged.

“Noctura, I can’t let you take destroy the Elements!” Nightwatch told her, firmly.

Noctura ignored him and tried to take the orb, but Nightwatch used his magic to lift all of them. Noctura grabbed one but Nightwatch shook her off. She brandished her bladed weapon on her right arm and two sharp knives came out.

“BUTTER, RUN!”

Noctura dove straight for Nightwatch as Buttercream ran for cover. He jumped out of the way just in time and had to drop the orbs. Noctura hurdled at him again and tried to slash him with her weapon but he put up a magic shield. She slashed furiously at the shield, hoping to wear him out. Eventually, Nightwatch’s spell ran out and the shield shattered into pieces like glass, which then dissipated. He used his magic to grab a metal rod from a nearby window. He used the rod to parry her blows, but she was too good of a fighter for him to keep up with. Running out of options, he used his magic to remove her gauntlet and throw it out the window. Noctura hissed and tackled him to the ground, pinning him down.

“NOCTURA, GET OFF ME!”

“YOU ARE NOT GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY SUCCESS, UNICORN!”

A plume of pink fire from Buttercream appeared right next to Noctura, and she leapt back, hissing. The fire stood out so brightly in the darkness, it temporarily blinded her like the sun. Buttercream stood in front of her brother to defend him.

“Nocti, I liked you, but no one’s going to hurt my brother!” said the feisty little dragoness.

“You two will pay for this!” Noctura screamed as she allowed her eyes to readjust.

Suddenly, a small breeze could be felt in the room. Dust and leaves were kicked up as a small wind funnel formed to the side. They all looked and saw a purple cloud forming. The cloud grew larger and the wind grew stronger. Suddenly, the clouds parted and before them stood the mare of darkness herself: Nightmare Moon!

Nightwatch and Buttercream gasped and backed away. Noctura’s eyes were still squinting, but she knew what was standing before her. She opened her eyes wider and stared in amazement at the being she had worshipped as a goddess all her life. Nightmare Moon locked eyes with Noctura.

“Nightmare Moon!” Noctura exclaimed as she walked forward and bowed in reverence. “My Lady, I am honored to be in your presence! My name is Noctura. I come from a clan called the Cult of Eternal Night.”

“So then, there are still ponies who appreciate my night,” said Nightmare in a deep foreboding voice.

“Most definitely, my queen. We are a long line of chiropterequus that have been awaiting your return. We are all here to aid you in your conquest of Equestria. I pledge myself to your servitude.”

Nightmare Moon smiled, sinisterly.

“Excellent. Only a few hours of freedom and I already have an army being formed. But there are still plenty of ponies who must submit.”

“Indeed. First we must get rid of these Elements of Harmony or someone will try and use them against you.”

“Worry not about those pathetic orbs, child. There were six young ponies in the forest trying to reach the Elements, but I have already taken care of them and took out the bridge that spans the chasm. They will never get here, and if they do, the Elements will not accept them. My sister and I had to go through trials to acquire them over a thousand years ago. Those pathetic little ponies are not worthy.”

“As you wish then, my goddess.”

“Go now. Tell your friends you have seen me and we shall start our revolution once I am done toying with these ponies. Tell them Eternal Night has come and will remain forever more!”

Noctura bowed one last time and flew out one of the broken windows to retrieve her gauntlet and move on. Nightmare Moon watched her leave and then turned her attention to the other two. Buttercream was hiding behind Nightwatch, trembling. Nightwatch appeared very nervous, but he swallowed hard and tried to talk to the dark alicorn.

“Pri…Princess Luna…” he started to say.

“Princess Luna is dead. There is no Luna, only Nightmare Moon.”

“Please, let me speak to you. My name is Nightwatch. This little dragon here is my adoptive sister Buttercream. I’ve known about you all my life and I’ve been anxiously awaiting your return.”

“Have you come to submit to my unopposed reign?”

“No, your highness. Please, I know what’s been troubling you. The things you’ve went through.”

“You are just a young stallion. You were not there when it all happened. How could you possibly know what I have been through?”

“I’ve heard the legend, about how you grew resentful of your sister and became like this.”

“We’re here to help you, Princess,” Buttercream said politely.

Nightmare looked at the little dragon and her thoughts strayed back in time. She felt she identified with this unicorn stallion for a moment, not only because she had dragon friends as a child, but because she too had a sister once. These thoughts were resisting the corruption so she closed her eyes and did her best to forget it all.

“You cannot help me. I don’t need your help,” she said.

“Princess, please, you have to fight it,” Nightwatch said as he bravely walked forward to confront her.

“No! Stop it!”

“Remember who you are. Your sister loves and misses you.”

“ENOUGH!”

Nightmare Moon stomped her hooves and a shockwave was emitted that sent Nightwatch and Buttercream back into a wall. She stood there, panting deeply.

“My sister does not love me! I will have no more of you fools! Leave my sight or face my wrath!”

“Nighty, maybe we should go,” Buttercream said.

Nightwatch used his magic to put Buttercream on his back. He turned one last time to Nightmare Moon.

“Nightmare Moon will be defeated and I think it will happen tonight,” he said as he used his magic to place the orbs back on the pedestal. “Those six ponies you spoke of may be the ones.”

“Silence!”

“Good bye, your highness. I hope we meet again one day.”

“I SAID SILENCE, FOOL!!”

Nightmare Moon fired a blast at Nightwatch, but he had already readied his own horn and disappeared right before the beam could hit him. Some rocks fell down from the wall. Once the dust settled, the alicorn saw that her visitors were gone. Nightwatch had teleported away safely. She stood motionless for a few moments, thinking about what Nightwatch had said, but she continued to fight the memories she had of her life before the corruption. Suddenly, she heard sounds outside of the castle.

“We’re almost there! WHOA!” called a young female voice.

“What’s with you and falling off cliffs today?” said another.

Nightmare Moon looked out the door of the entrance and saw the young mares she had been following around this whole night, trying to stop them from reaching the ruins.

“Those little fools! I thought that serpent would have kept them from crossing the river, but now they’re about to fix that bridge!? I’ll show them!”

In her arrogance, Nightmare Moon forgot about the Elements and directed her attention to the six ponies. She transformed herself into her cloudlike form once again and crept out into the open to take care of them.

Back at the Overlook, a bright light flashed and Nightwatch appeared with Buttercream. He put his hoof to his head, dizzy from all the magic he had just used.

“Ugh…I need to work on my long distance teleportation,” he said, tiredly.

Buttercream stepped down and sat on one of the logs by their campfire. The fire had unfortunately gone out, but she wasn’t in the mood for any s’mores.

“I guess this is going to be a really long night,” she said, gloomily.

Nightwatch sat next to her and put his arm around her.

“The possession was worse than I thought,” he said. “She really has become as hateful and bitter as the legends say. I never thought I might actually see Nightmare Moon like that. I thought I could help her, but I guess the Elements of Harmony really do need to be used.”

“Do you think those six ponies she mentioned can really do it? Who are they even?”

“Who knows? Maybe they’re warriors or just anyone deemed worthy of the Elements. If there are six of them, I hope they’re all perfect matches for the spirits of the Elements, otherwise it could be ages before the right wielders find them.”

“You really do have blind faith, don’t you?” said Noctura.

They both turned around and saw the bat pony standing behind them. She was wearing her gauntlet but was not in the mood for fighting anymore.

“Noctura?” Nightwatch said, surprised.

“Weren’t you going to go wake up the others?” Buttercream asked.

“They are still unconscious. It doesn’t matter. I saw Nightmare Moon tonight and now I am more determined than ever to do her bidding. I will show the others I am worthy.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nightwatch asked. “What have the others done to you?”

“That’s not important.”

“Then why did you mention it? Noctura, did the other cultists do something to make you this way? You seemed so nice when you sat down with us earlier after the sunset. It’s almost like this whole cult doesn’t matter to you.”

“Nightwatch, be careful!”

“Please, Nocti. We’re your friends,” Butter pleaded.

“And we can still be your friends,” Nightwatch added. “I’m willing to give you a chance. Whatever Tenebris and the others have done to you, I’m sure we can help.”

“SHUTUP!!”

Noctura jumped forward and hissed at them. Nightwatch held Buttercream close to him while using what energy he had left to use a magic shield. Noctura had her teeth bared and her right arm off of the ground. She didn’t realize her gauntlet blades had been extended. She looked down at the blades and thought about what she was doing. It dawned on her how awful of a friend she truly was, even if she did it all in the name of her religion and to impress the cultists. She looked back at her friends and appeared sad now. She retracted the blades and walked away from them. She sat down on the grass with her head lowered. Nightwatch put his shield down and watched her with Buttercream. They shared a glance and then Nightwatch walked towards the forlorn bat pony.

“Noctura?”

She did not answer.

“Look, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to come across as close-minded to your beliefs. I’m just worried about you. You don’t have to tell us right now, but I think it would help if we talked about this.”

Noctura continued to sit and stare at the ground, refusing to respond to the unicorn. She knew she was keeping something from them, but she was not in the mood to talk about it. All that mattered to her right now was that Nightmare Moon would have her way.

“We’ll give you some time alone,” Nightwatch said as he walked back to his tent with Buttercream.

“What do we do now?” Buttercream asked.

“I guess we just wait.”

For the next few minutes, Nightwatch packed up his telescope and put it back in its box. Butter sat down on the log again and tried to cheer herself up by eating a marshmallow. She looked back at Noctura every so often to make sure she was okay. Noctura just kept sitting. Once Nightwatch was finished, he sat down next to Butter again.

“So when should we head home?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Nightwatch answered, “If we want to get home, I’m going to have to get us a new map since I lost the other one in the river, but I don’t even feel like going home right now. I’d like to stick around until everything is fixed.”

“I hope the Elements will be okay.”

“The spirits of the Elements of Harmony will still exist, Butter. She can destroy those orbs, but the true Elements will always be out there. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that six beings are on their way now to that castle. We have to pray they’re the ones.”

“I’m getting tired, Nighty. Should we head to bed now?”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

They both got up and walked to the tent. Nightwatch unzipped the front flap and hopped inside. He waited for Butter to follow after him, but she was still outside. He hung his head out to see what she was doing.

“Butter, you coming?”

“Uh…Nighty, what’s happening over there?”

Nightwatch looked in the direction Buttercream was pointing in and saw a bright light shining beyond the trees. It looked as if it was coming from the Everfree Palace. Noctura even lifted her head and her ears perked up. The shine grew brighter and suddenly there was a burst of light that lit up the entire area. Noctura got down and covered her eyes. Nightwatch covered his eyes as well, but his horn also reacted to the light. He was sensing the magic that was clearly at work and it was the most powerful thing he had ever felt before. The light finally started to die out as an explosive sound echoed across the land.

“What was that?” Buttercream asked.

“I have no idea but that was the most magic I’ve ever sensed before. Something really big just happened down there.” he responded.

“Do you think…do you think it was the Elements of Harmony?”

“I…I think it was.”

“No…No, that can’t be!” shouted Noctura as she turned around. “It must have been her own magic!”

“I don’t know, Noctura. When she used her magic on us earlier, I didn’t sense quite as much power coming from her. Whatever happened down there was off the charts. It gave me a bit of a headache just focusing in on it.”

“You’re bluffing! Nightmare Moon cannot be defeated…I…I should have taken those orbs. She said she had taken care of those ponies in the forest. They couldn’t have possibly beaten her!”

“Guys, look!”

Buttercream pointed to the horizon. The dark sky started to turn lighter and the sun began to rise much faster than normal. If Celestia was raising the sun, this meant Nightmare Moon had been defeated.

“The sun is rising!” Nightwatch said.

“That means…that means someone did use the Elements!” Buttercream shouted, joyfully.

“No! NOOOOO!” Noctura shrieked.

Noctura covered her eyes with her wings and hissed and spat on the ground uncontrollably. Thinking quickly, Nightwatch took out a dark washcloth from his supply box and handed it to Noctura.

“Here, take this! Wrap it around your head!” he told her

“STOP! Can’t you see I am mourning the death of my goddess?!”

“Noctura, please! Come with us and we’ll get you to a dark spot in the forest where you can avoid the sunlight!”

Noctura opened her eye a bit as she looked at the washcloth. She angrily took it from Nightwatch and tied it around her head to cover her eyes. Nightwatch took her hoof and lead her to their cart where she got inside. He then went to tear down his tent and take all of his supplies back to the cart.

“Nighty, do you think she’ll be okay?” Buttercream asked.

“Just until we get her to a place she can open her eyes in. Come on, let’s go find one. Hang in, Noctura.”

“Why are you helping me?” Noctura asked while crying.

“What?”

“I said why are you helping me? After everything I’ve done to you?”

“Because this is what friends do.”

Nightwatch put the last of his supplies in the cart and then strapped himself to the cart and began to pull. It was a bit heavier with Noctura inside, but he didn’t need to go far until he would find some shade for his friend. He looked back to see Noctura lying down inside the back of the cart, still crying. Buttercream looked at her with sorrow and put her hand on her shoulder.

“It’ll be okay, Nocti.”

“No. It will not.”

Elsewhere in the forest, a magic aura was dancing around in the treetops, making its way to a clearing where the Brotherhood was. They had a large machine in front of them with a hole opened on its side.

“Now Bellow!” shouted Bray.

Bellow took off his bell and held it high in the air. The bell slowly absorbed the purple essence.

“Good, now place it in the Golem’s chest!”

Bellow placed the bell into a small outlet on the machine and it transferred the essence into it. The machine was still for a moment and then began to power up and make noise. Lines glowed brightly and the machine started speaking in a deep monotonous tone.

“POWER TRANSFER COMPLETE.”

“It works!” said Bleat.

“AHAHAHA! THE GOLEM LIVES! I told you this would work! Nightmare Moon’s magic was just what we needed!” Bray said, maniacally.

“Alright, now what exactly does this thing do?” Dagger asked Bray, scratching his head with the tip of his tail.

“So much, my little scaly friend. I will show you. Everyone help me put it back together.”

They all walked over to some nearby crates and lifted other mechanical parts that had the same glowing lines on them. Bray took out a head with two large curly ram’s horns on top and a long cable trailing behind its neck.

“It’s time to finally awaken you, my old friend,” he crooned.

As the sunlight poured in across the land, the six mares exited the front door to the ruins. The energetic pink earth pony hopped out with a big smile on her face. An orange earth pony with blond hair and a cowboy hat followed her out with a blue pegasus with rainbow-colored hair in the air next to her.

“Um…Pinkie, are ya gonna tell us what this calls for or what?” asked the orange one.

“Shhhhh! I’m waiting till I get into Ponyville where everyone else is. It has a more cinematic effect. Hehehe!” the pink said out of the side of her mouth.

“Cinemawhat now? Eh. Typical Pinkie.”

“Ten bits says she’s going to say it calls for a party,” the blue one told the orange one.

“I just still can’t believe the Elements of Harmony chose us!” said a white unicorn with purple hair and a high-class accent. “It was simply amazing what happened! And those necklaces are beautiful! I hope to put them on again one day!”

“That did feel amazing. I just hope we don’t have to do that again,” said a soft-spoken yellow pegasus with long pink hair.

“Oh, Fluttershy, darling, are you kidding me? After that, I feel like I could just take on the whole world!”

“The whole world? Oh…um…that sounds a bit overwhelming.”

Behind them was a purple unicorn with navy blue hair with pink and purple streaks. She was using her magic to carry five golden necklaces with gems in the center that had a unique shape and color. The sixth one was a tiara that had a pink gem shaped like a six-sided star. She turned around to talk to a tall white alicorn with multi-colored hair that waved in the wind. This was Princess Celestia.

“Princess, will you be joining us in Ponyville for the celebration?” the purple unicorn asked.

“I would be honored, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia replied. “Sister, would you like to come too?”

Celestia looked back at a dark blue alicorn with light blue hair. She was shorter than Celestia but taller than the others. This was Princess Luna, the host of Nightmare Moon who had been infected by evil a thousand years ago. The Elements had exorcised Nightmare Moon earlier, leaving behind a rather melancholy young alicorn. The princess of the night was still very saddened by everything she had done after the possession. She had a hard time speaking, but she responded to her sister.

“I…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. But what will the other ponies say of me when I enter their town? After everything I have done?”

“That was a thousand years ago, Luna. I’m sure they will forgive you.”

“Ponyville will welcome you back, your highness. The past is the past,” the purple unicorn said respectfully before turning back to the older sister. “I’ll let you keep the Elements for now, Princess. If we ever need to use them again, they’d be safer with you.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” Celestia replied.

The unicorn gave her the jewelry and then went off to join her friends.

“If you assure me of this, then I shall join you in this new town of Ponyville, sister,” Luna told Celestia. “But after we are done, I must find someone and apologize to them.”

“Apologize? To whom?”

“A young unicorn and his little dragon friend. I hope they are all right.”

Author's Note

Recommended music to listen to in the background while reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXU6u4KfNS4

8. Forgiveness

The following day was spent almost entirely with resting. Noctura had been up most of the previous day preparing for the ritual, and Nightwatch and Buttercream had also pulled an all-nighter, so everyone was tired. Noctura was still very distressed over what happened to Nightmare Moon. The first thing she did when Nightwatch found a good place to keep her safe from the sunlight was cry herself to sleep. Nightwatch had set up the tent for him and Buttercream to sleep in, but Noctura preferred to curl up against a rock. The area they were in was shady enough for her to not be blinded by the light and this part of the forest didn’t seem so dangerous. Nightwatch slept for a few hours and then got up to go check on his supplies, while Buttercream and Noctura were still sleeping. Having no other way to pass time, he took out a small notebook to log everything that had happened in the past few days.

Hours passed. Buttercream finally woke up to find her brother. He was sitting out in a clearing not far away, reading a book. Nightwatch noticed her coming, bent down the page and put the book away in his satchel.

“Hey you,” he said as she cuddled up next to him. “Did you get enough sleep?”

“Yeah. I’m worried about Nocti though.”

“Me too. I’ve been thinking about her all day. The sun’s about to set so maybe she’ll come back out to talk.”

“If she wants to talk.”

“I’m sure we can get her to be honest with us.”

“What do we do with her though? We can’t let her be around those other bat ponies. Maybe Mom and Dad would be okay with her staying with us for a while?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, but I hope Noctura will be okay. She’s going through a rough time. I know we’re all happy about Nightmare Moon being defeated and Princess Luna being back, but Noctura was waiting all her life for last night and now it’s all ruined.”

“You think there’s a way we can convince her she’s wrong?”

“We’ll wanna be careful about doing that, Butter. I hope she’ll at least tell us what’s wrong with her. I think Tenebris and the others weren’t too kind to her.”

“Yeah. I can tell.”

They sat still for a few minutes without talking, thinking about everything and taking in the beautiful sunset until something caught their eyes off to the side. Noctura walked in past them and sat down in the clearing, watching the sky turn darker. Nightwatch and Buttercream sat still and observed the poor bat pony. Nightwatch finally got up and sat next to her.

“Hey. You alright?” he asked.

“Not really,” she replied.

“Look, I know this is rough for you, but can we talk?”

“Talk about what specifically?”

“Well, is there something you want to tell us about the cult? I get the feeling they weren’t to kind to you.”

“They weren’t.”

“What did they do?”

Noctura sighed. She waited a few seconds before telling them about her experiences with the cult.

“When I was a filly, I was brought up to believe that Nightmare Moon was important and that she didn’t deserve what happened to her. That was it. I wasn’t part of the Cult of Eternal Night then. I lived a normal life and did normal things. Then I got my cutie mark. Father Tenebris, the head priest of our community suggested I join the cult because he believes my cutie mark meant I was supposed to serve Nightmare Moon when she returns. That was the case with most bat ponies with night-themed cutie marks. My parents and friends pressured me into joining, so I did. Everything changed then. The cult was totally strict and limited everything I do. I was only happy when we would take time off and I was free. It would have been nice to run away, but I risked being shunned by the other bat ponies and I was afraid the other species wouldn’t accept me. I think at some point, the other cultists recognized that I didn’t take their religion seriously enough, so they just became abusive. You saw how Oscura made me join them in the ritual. It wasn’t even required of all of us to do be in it.”

Noctura stopped talking to take some time to cry. Nightwatch and Buttercream didn’t say a word. The bat pony wiped her tears away with the knuckle of her hoof and then finished her story.

“When I met you two, you seemed nicer than anyone else I had known since before I joined the cult. That’s why I convinced Tenebris and the others that you meant no harm and we should free you from the cage. You both just seemed so nice and didn’t obsess over cultish behavior like the others, but I was still so attached to my beliefs and now I’ve hurt you because of it. Now Nightmare Moon is gone and I have nothing left to live for.”

Nightwatch and Buttercream finally got up to sit closer to her as she started crying again. Nightwatch put his arm around her as Buttercream hugged her from the other side.

“I’m sorry, Noctura,” Nightwatch said. “I had a feeling they didn’t treat you right. I’m glad we made you feel better when you met us though.”

“We’re here for ya, Nocti,” Buttercream added.

“And I forgive you for lashing out at me. Look, I don’t want to tell you what you should and shouldn’t believe in, but I promise you that Nightmare Moon being Princess Luna again is for the better. Luna was suffering with that possession. I tried to talk some sense into her while she was Nightmare Moon and she didn’t listen.”

“Yeah, she actually attacked both of us,” Buttercream added.

“She did?” Noctura asked as she wiped away more tears.

“For all we know, Nightmare Moon would’ve probably just enabled those cultists and they would abuse you more,” Nightwatch continued

“I…I guess. That’s why I was so intent on destroying the Elements and meeting with her. I thought maybe I could find favor with Nightmare and use it to get back at the cultists for how they treated me. Let them know I was worthy after all. At least they would respect me for once.”

“I wouldn’t worry about the other cultists. They obviously don’t have your best interests in mind.”

“You’re right. I’m still not sure about this whole thing with Nightmare though. I can’t accept what Princess Celestia did to her sister. It’s just not right.”

“Well Noctura, did you ever consider the fact that maybe the cultists told you lies about Celestia?”

Noctura looked down at the ground and thought hard about what Nightwatch had said. She wondered if maybe he was right. Perhaps Celestia was a benevolent leader and only banished her sister because she had no other choice. Perhaps Nightmare Moon was the real villain this entire time.

“I don’t know, Nightwatch…I…”

Suddenly, the wind picked up and the sky darkened. A vortex of dark clouds formed above them. Nightwatch did not notice any clouds earlier, so powerful magic was clearly at play.

“Nighty, what’s going on?” Butter asked.

“I have no idea. Whatever it is, that’s some pretty powerful magic.”

Light shone from the inside of the vortex and an object emerged. It was too far away to see, but as it got closer, they noticed several creatures in front with wings flapping. It was a chariot that appeared to be carried by pegasi, but Noctura noticed something different.

“Those are bat ponies. It’s Tenebris and the others!” she yelped as she hid behind Nightwatch.

“No, Noctura. That’s not the cult…” Nightwatch said.

The chariot had a very dark, bat-like appearance and was being flown by four bat ponies wearing armor in the front. They descended and came to a halt a few yards away from them. Inside the chariot was a tall female alicorn pony in a dark robe. She stepped out of the chariot, walked towards them, and opened her wings. The robe disintegrated into magical bats that took off into the sky. Her coat was blue and she had lighter blue hair. She was wearing shiny anklets and a black necklace and crown. Her cutie mark was the same as Nightmare Moon’s but now it was a black cloud instead of a purple one with a moon inside. It was Princess Luna. She had been freed of the spirit of Nightmare Moon and restored to her original form. She had a very solemn look on her face.

“Pr-pr-pr…prin…princess…” Nightwatch stuttered as Buttercream pushed him ahead.

“Go ahead! Talk to her!” she whispered.

“P-P-Princess Luna! I’m…I’m so…Princess, I’m so honored to meet you!”

Nightwatch trembled and took a bow with Buttercream. He was sweating and could not stop stuttering in the presence of royalty.

“Nightwatch and Buttercream, I have been looking for you,” said the princess, flatly. “Firstly, I am sorry for not speaking respectfully using the ‘royal we’ nor am I annunciating my speech like I should before my subjects. I have been through a traumatic experience and am in the process of healing.”

“Of course, Princess. I understand completely.”

“Now, I would like to take this time to apologize for what I did to you earlier. I was under the control of an evil spirit and I reacted harshly. Even then, I am still to blame. I allowed the possession to happen over a thousand years ago and I was rightfully imprisoned for it. I am pleased to report that the Elements of Harmony were restored and used against me to exorcise the demon. I am now Princess Luna once again.”

“It’s good to have you back, Princess,” Buttercream said, respectfully.

“Yeah, you’re…you’re gonna have to forgive me for acting so nervous,” Nightwatch said as he began stuttering again. “I’m just…you know, a huge fan of yours.”

“A huge fan? I fail to see how one can become a fan,” Luna asked perplexedly as she waved her hoof around in front of her.

“Oh, nonono, not that kind of fan. I mean like…it’s just a new modern word we use. It’s short for the word ‘fanatic’. Not in a bad way of course. In other words, I’m an appreciator of yours and I’ve studied up on the whole legend of Nightmare Moon and all. I even got my cutie mark when I found out which stars were going to set you free from the moon. I predicted this entire thing and it came true.”

“Oh. I see. You do seem to know much about me, but you are not a cult-member, I take it?”

“No, not at all. My adoptive sister and I have just really been waiting all these years to see the return of Princess Luna. I always had faith you’d be restored.”

“We both did,” Butter added as she hugged her brother.

“I am delighted to see ponies and dragons are still living in harmony to some extent. My sister told me what happened with the dragons after I was banished.”

“Yeah. The whole Nightmare Moon incident really tore apart Equestria’s foreign relations.”

“It’s nice to see some of the bat ponies have accepted you as Princess Luna now,” Buttercream added as she pointed to the guards.

“Oh, we’ve been in Canterlot for a while, little one,” said one guard, removing his helmet.

“Yeah, Princess Celestia has been keeping an eye on the bat ponies for hundreds of years,” said another. “When she heard some of them had formed a cult around Nightmare Moon, she sought out some of us and hired them as night guards.”

“And my sister has reserved a battalion of them for when I would return. I now have my own guards,” Luna stated.

“Wow,” Nightwatch said, glancing back at Noctura. “That’s impressive. I thought most bat ponies were part of the Cult of Eternal Night at this point, at least the ones in the Everfree Forest.”

“That brings me to another important matter. You back there. Noctura, I take it?”

Nightwatch and Buttercream stepped aside to allow Luna to walk towards Noctura. Noctura was facing the other direction with her ears down, but she slowly turned her head. Luna put out her hoof.

“Please come closer, my child.”

Noctura walked to the princess and locked eyes with her. Luna could tell she had not been taking recent events rather well. She remembered what Noctura had told her about the cult.

“What has happened to the other cult members?” Luna asked.

“I didn’t make contact with them. I’d rather not. They were not kind to me.”

“But these two were, I take it?”

“Yes. I haven’t had any real friends in a while.”

“Tell me, did you believe the things they said about me and my sister? That Nightmare Moon is a goddess and that Princess Celestia is a tyrant?”

“I did, your highness.”

“Do you believe them now?”

“I…I don’t know. All my life that’s what I was taught. That was before I even joined the cult and I didn’t even want to be in it to begin with.”

“I know your feelings, child. I too believed lies: the lies that were told by my inner voice that would become Nightmare Moon. I felt anger and resentment. I was jealous of my sister, and over time, it grew worse. Our relationship was no longer what it once was. I too believed my sister was a tyrant.”

“But she isn’t anymore?”

“She never was. My sister and I have both made mistakes, but I fell victim to the infection, not her. Celestia spent the next few decades in turmoil over what I did. She only used the Elements because she had no choice. The last thing she said before I was banished was ‘Forgive me.’ The first thing she did when I came back was make amends with me. We are sisters once more.”

“And what about our eyesight? That’s obviously not a curse from Celestia like I was told.”

“The chiropterequi may have developed a disorder over time from refusing to be in sunlight as a protest against my sister. It can be healed. My guards are not afflicted by this any longer.”

“It…it can?”

Noctura looked to the guards who all smiled and nodded to her. She was amazed to see how happy they looked being bat ponies who had been around Celestia for so long. Everything Noctura once thought she knew was wrong after all. Now that the real Nightmare Moon was standing before her telling her these things, she could deny it no longer.

“So then it’s all true?” she said, trembling. “Your sister is a good pony and you’re not a goddess?”

“I may have lived for a long time, young one, but I am no goddess. I am no different from you. I have made mistakes, but now that I am here, I plan to correct myself. The question remains: will you do the same?”

Luna smiled and put her hoof under the young bat pony’s chin. Noctura was silent for a few seconds until she started crying. She walked in to Luna and Luna put her arm around her. After all the years of her being mislead and bullied, she finally found comfort in the princess’s words.

“I’m sorry, your highness! I should have known!” she wailed.

“You are forgiven, child,” Luna replied.

Nightwatch and Buttercream watched as the two embraced one another. Buttercream hugged her brother and wiped the tears she had forming in her eyes. Nightwatch was emotional watching this happen. He wasn’t sure how he would help Noctura before, but Luna’s presence seemed to be just what she needed.

“Luna…may I ask you something?” Noctura said.

“You may.”

“May I come with you to talk to Celestia myself? I feel I need to apologize to her the most. And also, may I…I mean if it isn’t too much trouble, is there any way I can still be of service to you? Like, do you need more guards or an attendant or something? I just don’t know where else I should go after all this. All my life, I thought I would end up being a servant to Nightmare Moon and that was all I had to look forward to.”

“Say no more, child. You are more than welcome to come with me to Canterlot. The royal guards train extensively, but I’ll see what I can do. And my sister would be happy to speak with you. She is a very kind pony.”

“Thank you.”

The bat pony and alicorn princess embraced one another a second time. Luna then turned her attention to Nightwatch and Buttercream as Noctura went to introduce herself to the guards.

“Thank you for keeping her this long,” Luna told them.

“You’re welcome,” said Buttercream. “We couldn’t just let her stay out there with those other nasty bat ponies.”

“I’m glad she’s come to terms with this now,” Nightwatch added. “I guess she just needed to talk with the real Princess of the Night all this time.”

“So this Cult of Eternal Night is still out there then?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure we need to worry about them anymore. They aren’t going to be too happy about all of this, but what can they even do about it?”

“You know one thing that still bothers me: why did those weird Brotherhood guys want to put the Elements back?” Buttercream asked. “Like, did they actually want to help defeat Nightmare Moon?”

“Brotherhood?” asked Luna. “Who is this you speak of, little one?”

“Oh yeah! We forgot to tell you about…them?”

As he spoke, everyone heard loud footsteps from behind. The noise got louder and louder as it went. Everyone stopped talking and looked to see some trees shaking and a large silhouette moving in the forest. The guards took out their spears from the chariot and flew in front of everyone to protect them.

“Who goes there? Show yourself!” shouted one of the guards.

The footsteps stopped. Another noise was made that sounded like a machine’s working pistons and gears. Suddenly, something was lifted up in the air and flew out of the treetops. Nightwatch’s cart and all his belongings crashed off to the side. His telescope had been snapped in two in the process.

“NOOOOOOO! MY TELESCOPE!” he cried as he rushed over to try putting it back together.

The footsteps started up again. Nightwatch quickly retreated back behind the guards with Buttercream close behind him. The guards formed a line around the others and bared their teeth as the object finally marched out of the trees. Everyone could already see glowing blue lines all adorning its body before it stepped into the moonlight. It had four legs and a head that resembled a ram with two large curly horns. It was not a living being, however. It was a large moving machine designed to look like a ram. The marks on its horns looked like runic symbols, giving it the appearance of an ancient statue rather than a robot from any cartoons that Nightwatch and Buttercream had seen. Its eyes were round objects jutting out of the side of its head with a horizontal slot in the center and tiny glowing dots that moved around. Between its horns was a mohawk-like structure with a bright glowing light in the front. The tips of its horns also had two bright circular objects The shape of the horns curled back to point the tips in the front, so that all three lights could be seen at once. The robot stared at them and turned its head slowly to scan its environment. It saw the guards with their spears drawn. All the glowing blue lights on its body suddenly turned red. It spoke in a robotic, monotonous voice with a vocoder effect.

“THREAT RECOGNIZED. TARGETS WILL BE ELIMINATED!”

“Uh oh,” said Buttercream.

9. The Golem

The large ram-like robot walked forward to engage the guards. One of them went airborne to serve as a distraction, while the other three brandished their shields to protect Luna, Nightwatch, Buttercream and Noctura. The robot looked up to the guard just as he lunged forward with his spear. The guard watched for a split second as the head of the robot sprung forward at high speeds and slammed into him, knocking him back into some nearby bushes. The robot had stretched its neck out, revealing a thick cord. Its head fell to the ground and the cord pulled it back in to the body.

“Everyone get back! We’ll deal with this thing!” shouted another guard.

Luna put a shield of energy around the others as the guards all went to engage the machine. They flew around and avoided the robot’s head, but it had other options for attack. The rectangular light in the center of its mohawk shone brightly and fired a laser beam at one guard. The beam hit him in the arm, causing him to grunt in pain. Another threw a spear at the robot’s head, but the spear reflected, leaving no scratches on the hull. The robot then fired two smaller beams from the tips of its horns. The guard anticipated this and put his shield up to protect against the beams, but the robot was already learning. It aimed the lasers at the guard’s head so he would have no choice but to put the shield up and block out his view. The robot then rammed its head into him and knocked him back where he collided with Luna’s magic shield. The final guard tried to fly around and confuse the robot, but it charged itself up with electricity and stomped on the ground, creating a shockwave. It knocked everyone back including Luna and the others. The first guard got up and returned to engage the robot, but he was not prepared for the lasers since he did not see them being used before. He received a concussive blast to the chest and was knocked out.

“Princess, what is this thing?” asked Nightwatch.

“No time to explain. We need to stop it and I think I know how.” Luna replied as she stepped forward. “The rest of you, get to safety!”

Nightwatch, Buttercream, and Noctura all ran off to a nearby rock to hide behind. The robot turned its attention to Luna and charged up its center laser. It fired a beam, but Luna teleported above. She began to charge up her magic. By the time the robot looked skyward, Luna had already fired a powerful magic blast at the robot’s head. It turned its head quickly to the side. The lights all over its body turned blue again and flickered as if it was malfunctioning. It stood still for a few moments until the lights turned red. It looked at Luna and launched its head at her. She teleported just in time and moved to another location to try a more powerful blast. The robot dodged her blast by jumping away quickly. It was getting more violent and erratic with its movements, almost as if it was learning how to avoid attacks and land hits more successfully.

“Noctura, I think I know how we can beat it,” Nightwatch said.

“Tell me how. I’ll go take it out,” Noctura said as he brandished her bladed gauntlet that she recovered from Nightwatch’s cart.

“You see that glowing thing on its back? Luna’s been trying to aim for it, but it won’t let her land a hit. I think Luna knows that’s its weak spot and that thing has figured it out.”

“Say no more.”

Noctura flew out to the machine while Luna was fighting it. She landed on its back and began slashing at the supposed weak spot Nightwatch pointed out. The robot quickly realized what was happening, turned its head upside down and looked back at Noctura. It fired a laser at her, which she barely dodged. The robot then stood up on its hind legs, spun its upper torso around and flipped its front legs and head.

“CONVERTING TO TANK MODE.”

It had contorted its body and the weak spot was now on its underside. Knowing that they would try to get underneath it, it bent its legs down and used some wheels on the sides of its joints to roll on. Now it was low enough to the ground to keep its weak point safe.

“Nighty, now what?” Buttercream yelped. “That thing just keeps figuring out how to keep us from beating it!”

“I’ve got an idea! Butter, can you distract it with your fire real quick? Just blow one plume and then run away behind this rock.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got this.”

Buttercream looked at the huge ram-like machine and took a gulp. She then built up all her courage and ran towards it. The robot didn’t even notice her before she blew fire in its face and it backed up slowly. The fire interfered with its vision. Buttercream took another deep breath and blew more fire. The robot refused to go out of its tank mode and the underside still remained unreachable. Buttercream grew tired of blowing fire and the robot began to charge at her. She ran back to the rock, but she was not fast enough, so Luna flew by and picked her up out of its path. Noctura went in to distract it, but the robot fired a laser at her gauntlet, causing it to fall off. Before it could fire another laser at her, one of the guards flew in the way and took the shot. Thankfully the laser only hit his armor, but he was sent flying back, taking Noctura with him. Noctura was too disoriented from the collision, but the guard quickly pulled himself back together and carried Noctura safely away from the robot’s vision.

“Sorry. I could’ve handled that a little better,” the guard told her.

“No, you did good. Thank you,” she replied.

Suddenly, the robot was lifted in the air, surrounded by a purple magic aura. Nightwatch had snuck up behind it and used his magic to lift it high enough to get to the underside. Unfortunately it was too heavy, and fell back down. He would need someone far more gifted with magic to help out.

“Princess!! Can you lift it for me?” he called to Luna.

The robot ascended a second time, surrounded by Luna’s magic. Nightwatch dashed under it quickly while charging his horn.

“THREAT LEVEL HIGH! DEACTIVATING TANK MODE!”

The robot put all four legs back down and tried to turn its upper torso around again, but it was too late and Nightwatch fired his most powerful blast right at the weak spot. It shattered and the lights began to flicker again. The robot landed on its legs but could barely keep its balance. Nightwatch had used up so much magic, he could not teleport away safely and was too dizzy to run, but Noctura flew underneath and carried him away to safety. The robot’s head shot out one more time just a few yards. Luna fired a blast powerful enough to sever its neck. The rest of its body fell over on its side and the lights faded out.

“SYSTEM FAILUUUUUUuuuuuuuurrrrrrrre………______”

The machine sounded as if it was powering down. Small bursts of electricity exploded from its chest and neck as smoke emerged. Nightwatch’s blast had overloaded its internal components. Luna set Buttercream down and then walked over to the machine, carefully examining it.

“Is…is that? Yes, I’ve finally found it!” she said.

A cloud of purple smoke spewed out of the machine and joined to form a glowing magic aura. With her eyes closed and a smile on her face, Luna allowed the aura to be absorbed into her body. Without even needing to flap her wings, she ascended, surrounded by a blinding light. Her coat became a darker shade of blue while her hair grew longer and wavy like her sister’s. There were tiny sparkles inside, giving it the appearance of the night sky. The glowing stopped and she landed gracefully on the ground. She sighed contently, opened her eyes, then flew over to check on her guards as Nightwatch and Buttercream reunited.

“Notus, Eurus, are you alright?” she asked two guards that appeared to be twins.

“We’re fine, your highness,” said one of them. “Zeph got hit pretty badly though.”

“Yeah, we should get him to the infirmary just to be safe,” said his brother.

Boreas, the eldest of the guards flew in, tending to the youngest. He was the one who saved Noctura, but he had been slammed too hard by the robot and was rubbing his head.

“Butter, you all right?” asked Nightwatch as he held his sister close.

“I’m okay now,” she replied. “I know that thing almost killed us, but that was awesome! Nighty, I can’t believe robots are real! Just wait till we tell Mom and Dad about this!”

“Well, this thing looks pretty old. Almost as if it was made centuries ago,” Noctura interjected as she observed the head of the robot.

“That thing is a Golem,” said Luna, helping up one of her guards as several others trudged behind her.

“A Golem?” asked Nightwatch.

“Golems were ancient Tambelonian machines that mimicked living creatures and could move as if they were alive.”

“So basically a robot?” Buttercream asked.

“A robot?”

“That’s the word we use in modern times. What you might call an automaton,” Nightwatch explained.

“Yes. An automaton. They were created thousands of years ago to serve their creators and improve society, but they were eventually turned into weapons of war when Grogar invaded Equestria and thus were swiftly banned by the king of Tambelon and the Equestrian kings of old. They are considered a mockery of living beings and a reminder of what happens to societies that toy with demonic technology.”

“And what happened with your hair?” Noctura asked.

“When I was freed by the power of the Elements of Harmony, something was not right. I felt very weak when I came back. My mane had reverted to its powered-down state like it was when I was younger. Somehow, most of my magic had been absorbed and used to power the Golem.”

“That thing came into the ruins and took your magic?” Buttercream asked.

“Not exactly. Golems were not designed to absorb magic by force. Someone else must have stolen the magic by gathering it up into another device and then transferring it. I suppose encountering this machine was a blessing in disguise or it could have hurt someone else.”

“Nighty, you think the Brotherhood had something to do with this?” Buttercream asked.

“Yeah, probably. Princess, that’s what I wanted to tell you earlier. We ran into these guys who call themselves the ‘Brotherhood of Grogar.’”

“The Brotherhood of Grogar?” Luna asked.

“They’re these crazy extremists who think Grogar is still alive or that he can be resurrected,” Noctura explained. “Me and the other cultists were working with them earlier to prepare a ritual for Nightmare Moon, but we had no idea what they were really up to. It makes sense now why they wanted for Nightmare Moon to be defeated by the Elements this whole time: they needed your magic to power this thing.”

“Maybe they thought this was Grogar?” Buttercream suggested.

“I’m not sure they did,” said Luna. “It appears to be a Golem that was used when Emperor Grogar attempted to seize this land. Whatever the case, Grogar is now deceased. According to my sister, he passed on in the depths of Tartarus not long after my banishment.”

Everyone looked at Luna in shock over this information.

“So he really is gone then,” Nightwatch said as he examined the golem. “What do these runes on its horns say?”

“That is the ancient tongue of Tambelon, which I will not utter here. When translated to Ponish, it reads ‘All Magic for One. No Magic for Those Beneath. Hail Grogar.’”

“Spooky,” Buttercream said.

“What should we do with its remains, your highness?” asked one of the guards.

“We will worry about it later. We need to get all of you to the medic back in Canterlot. I’m sure this metal beast is no threat anymore, but I will let my sister know.”

Nightwatch walked over to his cart and picked up the telescope. He looked at it with sorrow, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix it.

“It’s okay, Nighty,” Butter said, patting him on the back. “We’ll get you a new one.”

“I hope. I’m more worried about the cart. I don’t know how we’re going to get back with the wheels broken that badly. Wish I’d have brought some spares.”

Just then, a blue aura surrounded the cart and it was immediately mended. Nightwatch turned back to see Luna using her magic to repair the wheels.

“Princess! Thank you so much!” Nightwatch said, bowing.

“It was the least I could do, young Nightwatch,” she replied. “As for your telescope, I am afraid I do not comprehend the shape of it well enough to fix it. The technology in Equestria has changed much since my departure.”

“That’s ok, Princess. I can get a new one or get this one fixed.”

“Also, Nightwatch, before you leave: I wanted to say, I was impressed with your use of magic back there. I haven’t seen a unicorn your age master a kinetic blast quite that effectively.”

“Oh, well I always had a natural gift for magic. I had some pretty good teachers back then, but I’m no Starswirl the Bearded. I run out of energy a bit too quick if I use too much magic all at once like if I teleport long-distance. Also, you saw how I needed you to lift the Golem for me. There’s no way I’d be able to lift it and fire a blast at the same time.”

“Even then, what you did was very remarkable. I think you have much potential, but you need a teacher. Nightwatch, I know this may come as a shock to you and I haven’t known you that long, but I wish to take you under my wing as a personal protégé and teach you more about the intricacies of magic. What say you?”

Nightwatch’s eyes opened as wide as they could and he stared with his mouth hanging open.

“WHADUWHAHA…HA…YOU WHAT?!”

“Um…did I say something wrong?”

“Oh, he heard you the first time, Princess,” Buttercream giggled as she nudged her brother in the side. “He’s just getting all nervous again. Go on, Nighty! Say yes!”

“I…I...uhhhhh,” Nightwatch said until he fainted.

“AGH! Hehe, he does this a lot,” Buttercream said as she held him up on the side. “He means to say yes, it’s just gonna take a moment! Nighty, come on snap out of it!”

“Dear Nightwatch, I hope I did not alarm you. What ails you?” Luna asked.

Buttercream finally managed to stand her brother back up as Luna used her magic to help. He stumbled a bit but didn’t fall over this time. He was finally awake again and in full realization that Princess Luna actually just asked him to be her student.

“Oh, Princess! I mean…when do you want me to get started? Do I need to go find a book and study before my first lesson? Do you want me to go over the Fundamentals of Advanced Magic? Should I go read-”

“He means yes,” Buttercream giggled as she covered Nightwatch’s mouth with her hand.

Nightwatch had a big smile on his face and nodded his head up and down to confirm that he did indeed mean to say ‘yes.’

“I am honored” said Luna. “And do not concern yourself with all of that for right now. You are already at a good start; there are just some things I’d like to go over the next time we meet. You’ll just have to promise me you won’t faint when I speak to you.”

“Princess, I don’t know what to say!” Nightwatch said as he shook Luna’s hoof a bit too fast. “I never thought I’d get magic lessons from a pony like you! I promise I won’t fail you!”

“Hehe. I look forward to our first lesson. I’m not sure when it will be, but I will give you the address to my sister’s postal department. Boreas, fetch me some parchment and a quill.”

“Yes, your highness,” Boreas replied.

Luna took a piece of paper and a feather from Boreas and began to write down all the information Nightwatch would need. She then gave it to him and he put it away in his satchel.

“Just use the name ‘Princess Luna’ and I’ll tell her I’m expecting some correspondence from you,” Luna told him.

“Also, here’s a map to get you on a safe route out of the Everfree Forest and back on the main road,” said Boreas, handing a new map to Nightwatch.

“Thank you, sir. And thanks again, Princess Luna,” he told the princess. “I look forward to learning from you.”

Luna gave Nightwatch and Buttercream a warm hug before heading back to her chariot. Noctura then walked in to say goodbye to her friends.

“Nightwatch, Buttercream, thank you so much for what you’ve done for me,” she said sincerely. “I haven’t had friends like you in forever, and you’ve really opened my eyes tonight. I hope we meet again real soon.”

“You’re welcome, Noctura,” Nightwatch replied. “When I send my first letter to Luna, I’ll be sure to give my address and everything in case you ever want to come visit. I’m sure my parents would love to have you over.”

“Bye, Nocti,” Buttercream said, wiping a tear from her eye. “You’re a great friend and we’ll miss you.”

Nightwatch and Buttercream gave Noctura a big hug then left her to return to the chariot with Luna and her guards. They watched as the guards put away their spears and harnessed themselves. The one that saved Noctura earlier was in no shape to fly, so he sat in the front seat of the chariot with Noctura while the other three pulled it along.

“I’m Zephyrus by the way. You can call me Zeph,” he said, shaking her hoof.

“Noctura. Thanks for saving me,” she replied, bashfully.

The chariot took off as the guards flapped their wings and turned it around. Nightwatch and Buttercream waved as Luna and Noctura waved back to them.

“FAIR THEE WELL, CHILDREN!” Luna called to them.

“BYE LUNA!” shouted Buttercream.

They watched as the chariot sped off towards Canterlot. They continued to watch it shrink in the sky till it was no longer visible in the moonlight. Nightwatch sighed and put his arm around Buttercream.

“Well, Butter, I’d say this was a successful trip,” he said.

“You bet it was,” she replied.

“Lots of ups and down and way more danger than I was expecting, but we saw the stars free Nightmare Moon like we wanted, we made a new friend, and now Princess Luna wants to be my instructor. This was one crazy adventure!”

“Oh, and you passed your presentation with a hundred percent now!”

“Oh, that’s right! I completely forgot about my grade in all this commotion! Wow, I can’t wait to tell Mr. Nebula about this!”

“Mom and Dad are gonna be really surprised to know what all we’ve been through!”

“Yeah, I hope they aren’t too scared about the danger we encountered. They won’t be too happy to hear I almost got taken away to Tambelon by some crazy Grogar-worshippers.”

“Hehe. Well they’ll be happy to know someone stopped Nightmare Moon! I wish we could see what the new ponies look like that used the Elements of Harmony.”

“Yeah, I am curious. They’re probably such a big deal right now. Maybe we’ll see them someday, but I doubt they have time for little old me, which is fine. After this whole experience, I wanted to work at a planetarium or something, but I’d like to see what Luna has in store for me.”

“Nighty, you should write a book about all of this! Seriously, who else has a story this good about the time Nightmare Moon returned and was then defeated?”

“Well the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony certainly do.”

“True, but your story is just as awesome I’ll bet.”

“Hehe, you’re right. Only because I had the world’s best little sister by my side.”

“Dawww!”

Nightwatch picked Buttercream up with his magic and spun her around as they both giggled. He brought her in for another hug before heading back to the cart to pack up all his belongings and prepare for the trip home.

“Alright, well I think I got enough sleep today, so let’s get the cart moving and see if we can get to the campgrounds again and spend the rest of the night there. We’ll use this map to get back on the road and eventually get home. I think I know the rest of the way once we get out of the Canterlot area.”

“Lead the way, Nighty. Boy, Mom and Dad are in for quite a surprise when we get back!”

Nightwatch pulled his cart along and continued down a small path that would lead him to the road. As he went, the Brotherhood watched from atop a nearby cliff. Bellow stood tall on the edge of a rock with anger in his eyes.

“That was a real snooze-fest,” Dagger grumbled as he lay his head down on the end of his tail.

“I can’t believe it! I thought the Golem would have performed better!” Bellow said, trying to keep his voice low enough.

“Brothers, it was fine. It was meant to be experimental,” Bleat explained. “We saw how well it fought and the others will be able to do the same.”

“But the ponies will figure out how to beat them now! They already know of the Brotherhood!”

“Hehehe…” Bray laughed sinisterly as the others turned around.

“What are you laughing about?” Dagger asked.

“Brothers, don’t you see? They’re making this too easy! The Princess knows enough about the Golem and how to read those runes, but she has no idea what they’re all up against. Yes, we lost the Golem, but we all knew it would happen eventually. I’ve been holding onto that thing for years and I imagined I’d need to let it go someday. We’ll go down there and salvage its internal components before Celestia can use it. Don’t forget, that’s not the only Golem we have and there are many others buried out there that we can locate easily using our own Bewitching Bells.”

“But we don’t have enough magic to power them with. Our bells are not nearly as capable as the one Grogar carried,” Bellow complained.

“We will find it, Bellow. We don’t even have to go out and steal magic in the open. Like I said, the magic will continue to flow now that those mares have found the Elements. There will be plenty of other villains to come after this just as the prophecy foretold. They will be defeated and the ponies will get confident, but the years will roll by and we will continue to get stronger.”

“But what if it’s not enough magic, Bray?” asked Bleat.

“It probably won’t be for all the Golems we have, but once Grogar returns, that will be an issue no longer.”

“Ya think maybe those kids will figure out what we’re doing?” asked Dagger.

“You heard what they said down there, Dagger. The little dragoness thinks we thought the Golem was Grogar. If we can keep them guessing that we’re just a bunch of silly radicals, they will suspect nothing. They’ve already met you three, but they still don’t know what I even look like. This will be very beneficial if I am to ever pay them a little visit myself.”

“Are you saying the unicorn might have been useful this whole time and we should have brought him with us like I suggested?” asked Bellow.

“He may be useful, but we will take care of that another time. You three just keep up with the agenda. Leave Nightwatch and his little scaly sister to me.”

10. Epilogue

The next day, Midnight Hue and Aurora Shine were starting to panic about their children. They had considered contacting the Canterlot authorities to start a search party after hearing Nightmare Moon had been spotted around the Everfree Forest. Even with the news already reaching all of Equestria that Nightmare Moon was defeated and Princess Luna had returned, they were still worried that they had not heard back from Nightwatch and Buttercream.

“I can’t imagine where they’d be right now,” Aurora said as she looked out the window. “Midnight, maybe it’s time we filed a report to the police or at least get a search party started.”

“You’re right. I’m getting tired of waiting,” Midnight said, getting up from his chair. “Everfree is right around the capital. Maybe if we get a hold of the Canterlot authorities, they can help…oh! Honey, look outside! There they are!”

“Oh, sweet Celestia! They’re alright!”

They both looked out the window again and saw Nightwatch park his cart in front of the house. They rushed out the front door and ran to meet their kids.

“NIGHTWATCH! BUTTERCREAM!” shouted Aurora as she hugged her son. “We were so worried about you two!”

“Sorry we didn’t get back any sooner, Mom,” Nightwatch said, very drowsily.

“A lot of things happened that we weren’t expecting,” Buttercream added, sounding just as tired.

“Well did you get to see the moon?” Midnight asked. “We saw it the moment it happened!”

“And we saw the sun rise later so we knew Luna came back!” Aurora added.

“Yeah, we saw all of that too,” Nightwatch said as he started walking in the front door with his head lowered. “First we were captured by some crazy guys from Tambelon, then we had to deal with this cult of bat ponies that worship Nightmare Moon, and then we saw Nightmare Moon…”

“Captured?!” Aurora exclaimed.

“You SAW Nightmare Moon?!” Midnight added.

“And then we got to see Princess Luna and fight this big robot that looked like a ram…” Butter added as she trudged alongside her brother.

“Wait, hold on, you guys actually got to MEET Princess Luna and…uh, you fought a robot?” Midnight said, perplexed.

“Goodness! Just what have you two been through?” asked Aurora.

“Oh, and to top it all off, we got to make friends with Luna and she wants to train Nighty to learn more magic and…stuff…ugh…”

“WHAT?!”

“I’ll tell you guys more about it later, but right now…I’m exhausted…” Nightwatch said as he crawled up on the living room couch and quickly dozed off.

Buttercream climbed up on top, lay on his back and did the same. As they both sat snoring on the couch, Midnight and Aurora watched them with their mouths hanging open. Aurora saw the paper in Nightwatch’s satchel with the address for the royal post office on it. Luna’s signature was at the bottom.

“Did…did our son just get noticed by Princess Luna?!” Aurora asked.

“Shhh, let’s let them sleep,” Midnight whispered as he lifted a nearby blanket to cover his kids with. “These two have had quite an adventure, but they’re gonna need some rest. I am anxious to know more about what happened with Luna.”

“I can’t believe this. Our son really is going places, Midnight.”

“That he is, dear. That he is.”

Midnight put his arm around his wife and looked proudly at his son. When the young unicorn and his little dragon sister would wake up, they would have a grand story to tell their parents.

In the Everfree Forest one quiet afternoon, the Golem sat motionless and offline on the dry dirt. Bray and his friends had already removed all its inner workings and left the exoskeleton behind with no way to turn it on or control it. A female zebra wearing golden jewelry walked around it, showing it to the six ponies that saved Princess Luna with the Elements of Harmony. The blue pegasus hovered overhead, examining the ancient machine.

“Over here, my little ponies. Be sure to step carefully with ease,” said the zebra. “This machine appears to be offline, but awaken it could another time.”

“Just what the hay is it? Twilight, you got any books about this thing?” the blue pegasus asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like this,” said the purple unicorn. “It looks some sort of ancient robot. I wish I knew how to read these runes on its horns.”

“This here contraption looks like one of them machines the city folk keep trying to sell to put us farmers out of business,” said the orange earth pony. “Still don’t see the use of ‘em. Big Macintosh is just fine to pull the plow himself.”

“Whadaya think Granny Smith would say if she saw this thing, Applejack,” said a small yellow earth pony with red hair and a pink bow next to her.

“Oh, you know Granny, Apple Bloom. She’d be all like ‘These gosh-darn confangled modern doohickies are gonna outsource us farmers if we don’t do somethin’ about it! Let’s start picketing, y’all!’”

The orange pony spun her hoof around and imitated her grandmother’s voice as her little sister giggled.

“I’m not sure it’s a tractor, Applejack. Why would its head be shaped like a ram’s? That’s very intriguing”

The purple pony picked up the head of the Golem with her magic to examine it closer. Next to her stood a small purple male dragon with green spikes and a lighter green underbelly. He appeared to be the same age as Buttercream; he just had slightly longer spikes on his head and the tip of his tail was purple like the rest of his body. He looked closely at the Golem’s head, but was then distracted by some faint footprints on the ground where he had not yet walked. They looked a bit like his.

“Twilight, check out these footprints,” he told the purple unicorn.

“What’s that Spike? Oh. Interesting. Were you walking there?”

“Eh…nah. It’s a bit washed out by the rain, so it’s kinda hard to see. It’s probably from something else.”

Over by the Golem, the pink pony climbed into the body where the neck used to be attached. She made her way inside the hollow shell till one of the legs popped off and she stuck her head out of the hole.

“This thing sure has a lot of space inside! It would make a really cool hideout!” she said, excitedly.

“Pinkie Pie, darling! Get out of that dreadful thing this instant! Who knows what could be inside it!” said the white unicorn.

“Eh, let her have her fun, Rarity,” said the orange earth pony. “Doesn’t look like that thing’s alive anymore, if I can even say that.”

“Twilight…wha-wha-what is it? Shouldn’t we be worried it might try to attack us?” said the timid yellow pegasus as she hid behind the orange earth pony.

“I don’t think we have anything to worry about, Fluttershy,” the purple unicorn replied. “I think it might be one of those old Tambelonian machines. I think they were called ‘Golems’. It’s more like an automaton, or a robot as we’d call it today. Does it look like anything you’ve ever seen, Zecora?”

“Never before have I seen such a contraption. It appears as though it has seen some action. My people have made masks with horns like this, but no such runes I believe exist,” the zebra told her.

“Kinda looks like something from one of Spike’s comics,” the blue pegasus remarked.

“Heh, you’re right, Rainbow Dash,” said the little purple dragon. “It’s like one of the Megaborgs from Power Ponies! Like the one from Issue 12!”

“Pffft. Nerd.”

“Either way, we should probably just leave it alone to be safe. That means you too, Pinkie,” the purple unicorn told her friends.

“Awww. I wanted to use it as a Nightmare Night costume!” the pink pony whined.

“Come on ya’ll. We best get back to Zecora’s to help clean up the mess we left yesterday,” said the orange pony as they all turned to walk back into the forest.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” said the white unicorn. “Let’s all go now, everypony, and leave this wretched machine to rust.”

The purple unicorn started walking with them until something off to the side caught her eye. She saw a brown book on the ground and picked it up. It had some dust on it and looked like it had been there for a month or two. The book said “Nightwatch’s Astronomy Journal.”

“Oh, what is this?” she said, opening it up to have a look. “Wow, these are some really interesting notes about the stars, but I should probably return this if I can.”

She leafed through some of the pages and then came to the end where there was a small piece of paper with a message that read the following:

To anypony that finds this journal,

Please return it to 337 Horseshoe Road, Daleshire, EQ, 41189. I got this for my birthday along with a telescope back when I was just a colt. It has some really important notes I’d like to keep.

Sincerely,

Nightwatch

“So your name is Nightwatch. Well as soon as I get back to the library tonight, I’ll get this packaged up and sent right back to you. Oh, and also this nob to your telescope while I’m at it!”

She picked up a small round object off of the ground that she instantly recognized as a part to Nightwatch’s telescope. This young unicorn girl had used a very similar telescope in the past. Little did Nightwatch know, she was not only very well educated like him, she was the pony who had figured out how to use the Elements with all her friends to defeat Nightmare Moon. She turned around and joined her friends as she left the husk of the ancient machine behind.

Atop a nearby cliff, Luna and Celestia watched the ponies disappear back into the woods. They kept their eyes on the Golem.

“It’s still lying there,” Celestia said. “I think someone did steal all the inner parts right after you encountered it.”

“I wish I could have brought it back, but we didn’t have enough room in our chariot and Zephyrus really needed to see a doctor,” Luna replied.

“That’s okay, Luna. Unfortunately we will need to watch for more of these. They could cause trouble another time.”

“It was quite a nuisance to deal with, but all my friends and I managed to stop it that night. Nightwatch was especially impressive.”

“I still don’t understand how it was able to get a hold of your magic though. They weren’t designed to steal magic the way Tirek did. Someone else would need to be there to do it.”

“Do you think it was someone from this Brotherhood of Grogar?”

“I have no doubt it was. They’re probably the ones who salvaged it afterwards too. I have some intelligence abroad that reported cult-like activity in Tambelon several hundred years ago, but I didn’t think it was a problem. They’ve never made any threats to Equestria or even set foot here to my knowledge.”

“We best keep an eye out for them. If they did take my magic the moment I was freed from Nightmare Moon, it could happen to anyone else.”

“I will be sure to let all my guards know. For now, this Golem will not be an issue, but I think it’s time we take the exoskeleton and lock it away in the archives. I don’t want Twilight and the others knowing about the Brotherhood until they become a real problem for all of us.”

THE END

Nightwatch and Buttercream’s story continues in the Ester Dracos Arc!

5. The Final Sunset?

Nightwatch paced about inside the cage, thinking of a way to get out. Buttercream sat down near the bars, trying to dig and scratch at them, but the sound of her nails scraping against metal was too much, so she tried blowing her fire harder. Nightwatch tried concentrating his teleportation spell to a higher output, but every time he flashed, he kept ending up back in the cage. He could use his magic, but it had no effect on the metal, nor could he lift any object outside of the cage or teleport outside of it. He already knew how obsidian metal had properties that could resist magic like this, but he kept trying to find a way. Buttercream finally sat down in the corner with her tongue hanging out, tired from all her attempts.

“Nighty, I can’t do it,” she panted.

“Neither can I. I don’t think there’s anything we can do. Obsidian metal is really tricky. It’s made to resist magic in virtually every way. I think I’m gonna have to start calling for help instead. HEY! SOMEONE?! ANYONE?! HELP! PLEASE!”

Nightwatch raised his voice as loud as he could, but no one was coming. The cultists were out by the hilltop, preparing for their ritual while the Brotherhood was elsewhere, off to their dark business. Buttercream couldn’t take it any longer and began to cry.

“This is all my fault, Nighty. And here we said in our song about how no one was going to stop us.”

“Aw, Butter. Don’t cry.”

Nightwatch walked over and comforted his sister as she hugged him.

“We’ve been waiting for this day for years and had our chance to watch the moon, and now look where it’s got us.”

“I’m going to keep trying to find a way. I promise. See that opening in the trees right up there?”

“Yeah?”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, by my calculations, the moon should be visible at midnight and we might still be able to see it happen. Of course we won’t be able to see it through the telescope, but we’ll see it from this distance.”

“You…you think so?”

“I hope. I’m pretty sure that’s where the moon will be. Maybe we can at least ask someone to move us to a place where we can get a better view.”

“Is that all you want to do then?” asked a voice behind them.

Nightwatch and Buttercream turned around to see Noctura walking towards them. She still had on her hood and glasses.

“Noctura! You came back!” Buttercream said as she wiped away her tears.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I wasn’t sure what to do. The Brotherhood is distracted with their work, so we’re going to get you out of here. Tenebris is fetching the keys as we speak.”

“Oh thank Celes…er, thank goodness!” Nightwatch said, careful not to offend her again.

“I felt bad for you two. You may not be part of our religious following, but you desire to see the same thing happen tonight, so I didn’t want you to miss it. The others will be occupied, but I can help you get your cart up to the hilltop and set up your belongings.”

“That’s awfully nice of you, Noctura,” Buttercream said, gratefully.

“Thanks.”

Noctura began to smile for the first time and then sat down. She looked like she was deep in thought. Nightwatch observed her a little closer and noticed how different her eyes looked underneath the lenses. He also noticed she had fangs; they were just harder to see when she had her mouth closed. He finally asked her a question he had been eager to know the answer to since they first met.

“Hey Noctura, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but…is there a reason you and your friends wear those hoods and sunglasses?”

Noctura sighed and then looked at him. She was aware that Nightwatch already knew the answer to that question. Nightwatch could tell she knew.

“You’re one of them. Aren’t you?”

Noctura reached up and removed her glasses to reveal bright orange irises with slit pupils. She then pulled her hood back and showed her hair and ears that had been revealed earlier. Finally she took off her robe to reveal bat wings. Her cutie mark was an eye with the reflection of a crescent moon in the center. Noctura and the cultists were all part of the rare species ‘chiropterequus’, more commonly known as ‘bat ponies.’

“Yes, I am a bat pony. We all are,” she said.

“Whoa! Nighty, I thought bat ponies were extinct!” Buttercream said, eagerly.

“That’s only the popular theory, Butter,” Nightwatch replied. “I knew you guys were still around, but I didn’t know about the Cult of Eternal Night.”

“Most bat ponies sympathized with Nightmare Moon for wanting to give them eternal night. The cult was formed not long after she was banished. We’re a secret society that has been waiting patiently for this day since then. Since we are susceptible to sunlight, we sleep during the day and thrive at night. When we need to be active during the day, we wear these glasses to protect our eyes, but we always keep the cloaks on when we go out into the world.”

Noctura reached down and picked her sunglasses up and put them back on. She was starting to squint her eyes from having them off too long. The sunlight was too much for her even in this dark forest. The cloak would be of no more use so she just folded it up neatly.

“Why is that? Do you not want others to see that you’re bat ponies?” Nightwatch asked.

“It’s a tradition of ours to stay cloaked during the day. We keep to our own species and only walk amongst other ponies when necessary. Most of us dwell in caves and deep jungles to stay clear of the sunlight.”

“Okay, but what about the eyesight part? I didn’t think bat ponies had issues seeing in broad daylight.”

“We are not supposed to be that way, but after Celestia banished her sister, our race slowly started to develop this problem. Clearly a curse that the malevolent leader of Equestria has bestowed upon us for siding with Nightmare Moon.”

“But we will no longer have to worry about it after tonight,” said Nox who had just arrived behind her with Oscura.

They both took off their robes. Nox had blue hair with green eyes and a cutie mark of several stars. Oscura had yellow eyes, purple hair, and a cutie mark of the moon being partially covered by dark clouds. Other cultists arrived and took off their robes and sunglasses as well. Tenebris finally arrived with the keys but chose to keep his robe and sunglasses on.

“You two are free to go. We do not care what the Brotherhood may do to us. Nightmare Moon will return tonight and protect the bat pony race from our enemies, so we have nothing to fear. We only needed them to help us with important matters.”

“Thank you so much, sir,” Nightwatch said, respectfully.

“All I ask is that you do not get in our way and respect our desire for space to perform our ritual to welcome Nightmare Moon back.”

“Of course. Butter and I will stay off to the side and watch the moon through my telescope.”

“As for the rest of you: keep those sunglasses on until sunset. Once the moment is upon us, we will use them for the ritual when we will no longer be burdened with them.”

“Yes, Father Tenebris,” said the multitude of bat ponies.

Tenebris used his mouth to turn the key inside the lock and open the cage. Several other bat ponies flew up and removed the lid once the lock was undone. The bars to the cage slowly bent back down and Buttercream leapt out and gave Noctura a hug.

“Thank you! Nocti! Is it okay if I call you that?” Buttercream asked the bat pony.

“Um…you can call me that if you want, little one,” Noctura said with a smile on her face.

Buttercream turned to see if any of the other cultists would like a hug from her, but they all just put their glasses back on and went straight back to work. Buttercream looked disappointed, but Nightwatch put his hoof around her and smiled. She smiled back and hugged him.

“Well come on, Butter. Let’s go get that tent set up and break out some snacks,” he told her.

“EEEH! Yes! Feels so great to be out of that dumb cage! I can’t wait for tonight!” Buttercream said as she ran back to the cart.

Several hours passed. Nightwatch and Buttercream had set up their tent and the telescope, as the cultists arranged for their ritual. The sun was a few minutes away from setting, and the cultists began to start their first ritual to bid farewell to what they believed would be the final setting of the sun. They still had on their glasses but would not need them after the sun was gone and the night would last forever.

Nightwatch was bringing in some kindling for a fire he was starting up in a nearby pit, while Buttercream opened up a bag to take out the s’mores. She inhaled and lit the fire with her dragon breath. They waited for the wood to burn just right to start roasting their marshmallows.

“While we’re waiting, Nighty, you wanna watch the sun set?” she asked.

“It’s gonna be the final sunset until Nightmare Moon’s return, so it’s gonna be a special one. We might as well make this count,” Nightwatch said.

They both turned around on the logs around the fire pit and squinted their eyes as the orange ball in the sky began to inch its way down over the mountains.

“No longer shall we be burdened by the wicked monarch’s orb of fire!” said one of the cultists as some of them began to chant in gibberish.

“The chiropterequus will thrive forever more!” said another.

Butter glanced at Noctura to see if she was taking part in the chanting. Noctura was just standing there, waiting. She almost didn’t seem very interested in what the others were doing, but she was looking forward to everything no matter what.

“Here it goes, Butter!” Nightwatch told his sister as she turned back to the sunset.

The sun slowly moved down further until there was nothing but a bright sliver left on the edge of the horizon. The bat pony cultists all started hollering louder and louder. Finally the sun disappeared and they cheered loudly. They flew up in the air and removed their glasses. Once they landed, they all threw them into the fire. Noctura discarded her glasses in the fire and walked over to Nightwatch and Buttercream.

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked.

“Sure!” Buttercream said, joyfully.

“Go right ahead! We’d be happy to have some company,” Nightwatch added.

“It feels refreshing to see the sun go,” Noctura started to say. “We’ve had to wear those pesky shades all these years when we walk during the day, but no more now that eternal night is coming.”

Nightwatch had a concerned look on his face. He shared a glance with Buttercream who also looked worried. He then spoke up to Noctura.

“Hey Noctura, you know about the Elements of Harmony, right?”

“Yes. All bat ponies know what they are. It’s what Celestia used to banish Nightmare Moon.”

“Well I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with your beliefs, but the Elements can still be used to stop Nightmare. They’re no longer connected to Celestia, but two or more other beings could do it this time. Are you or anyone from your cult concerned about that?”

“I am aware, Nightwatch, but I am not worried about the Elements. They will never be used against Nightmare Moon again. She will not be defeated.”

Nightwatch was confused by what Noctura was saying, but she didn’t elaborate any further. He figured it was time to change the subject and not anger her. She already seemed to be warming up to the two of them.

“Well, anyway, have you ever had a s’more before?” he asked.

Noctura stared for a moment and then shook her head back and forth.

“Oh you’ll love ‘em, Nocti!” said Buttercream. “You take one of these little white things, they’re called marshmallows, and you roast it over the fire until it’s nice and brown, then you put them between a graham cracker and some chocolate and eat it like a sandwich. Their name comes from the words ‘some more’ cuz everyone always wants more once you’ve had one.”

“Oh. Well, that sounds delicious. I’ve had chocolate before and I liked it. This ‘s’more’ sounds even better just hearing about it.”

“I’ll make one for ya then!”

Noctura smiled as Buttercream reached into the bag to pull out a marshmallow and began to roast it on a stick. Nightwatch kept up his conversation with her.

“So Nocti, how about this Brotherhood?” he asked. “What’s up with those guys?”

“I was wondering when you would ask. Technically Dagger is just a mercenary they’ve hired, but the other two are part of it along with some donkey named Bray. They come from Tambelon. They’re also a cult, but their beliefs are baseless. While we are waiting for the return of Nightmare Moon, those fools are waiting for the return of Grogar.”

“Grogar? Wait, the Grogar? The Tambelonian warlord who took over Equestria before he was defeated by Gusty the Great?”

“That’s correct.”

“Are they aware Grogar was banished to Tartarus and allegedly died?”

“I don’t know. All I know is they think he’s still out there or that he can be resurrected. I don’t really care. Like I said, they are fools. That ram hasn’t been heard of for almost two thousand years. We all know where Nightmare Moon is and we have seen the signs. Of course, as you can see, that idiot Bellow doesn’t want to believe any of it.”

“Yeah, that guy’s got issues,” Buttercream remarked as she pulled in her marshmallow and then started making a s’more out of it. “Here, Nocti. Give it a try!”

Noctura took the s’more in her hoof and bit into it. She took a moment to taste the treat and then her eyes widened.

“Wow. This is pretty tasty!” she said as she took another bite.

“She likes it, Nighty!” said the happy little dragon.

“You want one too, Sis?” Nightwatch said as he used his magic to dangle a freshly-made s’more right above her.

Butter got down on all fours, wagged her tail, and panted like an excited puppy. Nightwatch moved the treat towards her, and she chomped down on it. Noctura smiled as she saw the two adoptive siblings bonding. She envied them for how happy they appeared. She had never been this acquainted with anyone not of her species or religion. Looking back at the bat ponies preparing their ritual, she could see the contrast between the two groups. Although the bat ponies were like family to her all her life, she was already feeling more connected with this unicorn and his little dragon sister.

Back in the forest, Bleat, Bellow and Dagger all crept towards the bat ponies' encampment in a small clearing. Nox and several others guarded the camp but were distracted by the moon. Although they needed to keep watch, they also needed to witness this very important moment so they also had their own separate ritual prepared.

“I’m so happy to finally get rid of these stupid glasses!” said Nox as he threw his shades into the fire with the others.

“I wish we could be with the others right now, but at least Tenebris let us have some drums and other instruments. We might as well just do the dance and all. Nothing’s going to happen,” said one guard.

“I agree. I’ve waited all my life for this moment and I’m not going to miss out on it,” said another.

With the guards distracted, the Brotherhood members took a chance. They peered out over a bush in the distance and then nodded to each other. Dagger took off his hat, scarf, shirt and belt and put them aside. He reached into the pocket of his shirt and took out a tiny lock pick. When the moment was right, he quietly slithered through the tall grass towards one large tent. When he reached the edge, he slipped in under the tarp and disappeared. Inside, he found a large chest with a lock on it. Using the pick, he carefully placed it in the lock and wiggled it around until the lock came undone. He slowly opened the lid so it would not creak too loudly.

Inside the chest were five stone orbs with the shape of an octagonal gem carved on one side. These were the Elements of Harmony in their powerless state. The sixth one had vanished entirely until they could be reactivated. They had been this way for a thousand years and had lost their power after their previous use in Celestia’s battle against Nightmare Moon. The bat ponies had stolen them from the Everfree Palace ruins earlier so no one could find them and use them against Nightmare Moon. The Brotherhood, however, had other plans and needed to return them to the ruins as Bray had ordered.

Dagger reached in with his tail, gingerly picked up each of the Elements and rolled them out underneath the tent. Once he had all five outside, he went back out and took each individual orb back to Bleat and Bellow who held on to them with their magic. Dagger quietly put all his clothes back on, and all three of them slinked away into the shadows.

“Well done, Dagger. I knew Bray hired you for a reason,” Bleat whispered.

“I still don’t get it though. Why do we need this Nightmare Moon to be defeated again?” Dagger asked.

“It has to happen in order to power the Golem.”

“The Golem can’t just absorb magic like that old bell?”

“They weren’t designed to do it like that. After Bray found this one, we decided tonight would be the perfect time to give it a try, what with Nightmare Moon reappearing and subsequently being defeated. Such an opportunity may not come for a while.”

“How can we be so sure she will be defeated?” asked Bellow.

“That’s why we’re returning these right now, Bellow. It may take a while, but someone will eventually find them and use them. I’m sure Princess Celestia has something in mind and has already found new wielders. She wouldn’t just waste one thousand years not preparing for this day where her dear sister reappears.”

“I know why the Golems are important, but I still don’t see the use of this mission. It does nothing to complete our true task.”

“Bray wishes it so, my friend. He knows what he’s doing and if we wish to see the return of the Ram, we must trust him.”