In the shade of the tree, an apple struggles to find the light.

Unclaimed by the greater Equestrian Provincial System(EPS), the Everfree Forest is a near untamable expanse of forest occupying a large enough tract of land to swallow the entire mountain the capital, Canterlot, occupies with enough distance left to make any method of travel besides flight unadvised. Walking through the Everfree Forest during the midday is never a good idea. Walking through this expanse of trees at night is an even worse idea.

The canopy of this ancient forest stretches the near length of its recognized boundary, sending the floor below into a land of shadows, or dusk at best. Fueled by constantly replenishing chaos magic leftover from the Imprisoning War between the Royal Sisters and Eris, life underneath the towering trees had to change as well. Accompanying the altered life was a strange orchestra of noises, the very same that kept Applejack alert as Dusk Shine’s horn lit their path.

The farm stallion held no ill will toward this place after his family spent generations living near it, and would claim to respect its fierce independence; the source of his discomfort was the understanding ponies like Dusk and himself shouldn’t be here all willy nilly like. For his alicorn friend, the chaos fueled forest was another school of magic that only lacked proper exploration, but still followed a set core of rules all the same. It was these rules he claimed allowed them to even enter the forest, let alone navigate it without its restless magics altering their reality.

Supposedly of course.

“I swear on Celestia’s giant sun lit flanks that this here forest is toying with us. It’s the only explanation for all them strange calls and clingy vines.” Applejack whispered to his friend. The paranoia that the forest hearing, and reacting to this information wasn’t a farfetched idea.

Without turning to address his friend, Dusk kept his pace constant by having measured the proper strided needed to reach the old castle at a reasonable pace without burning too much energy in the process. Energy he always needed, but unfortunately couldn’t ritually cast a teleportation spell without the chaos magic affecting the casting, or drawing attention to the location. Walking had more negatives than positives, yet reminded the only viable option unless he grew wings of his own or bought another hot air balloon.

“It's just a theory, but one with promising results that could land me a grant to pursue further research, but would require further expeditions to even prove its viability. In short, you could be right, Applejack. The Everfree Forest has evolved some form of intellect to protect itself.”

“AH BUCK THAT!” His booming voice breaking their otherwise uneventful trek so far, nearly forcing the alicorn to magically silence farmer’s voice from worry the forest would perceive the outburst as weakness, or some form of assault. Thankfully this was the only outburst from Applejack after the rumbling growl of an unknown creature called back.

Familiarity of the two ponies was another driving point for their unusually quiet ventures. This quasi-tranquillity would only last for so long before the scales leaned just enough to send the chaotic forest into a frenzy if not careful. Until that exact moment, the two ponies only worry was the occasional sound or rouge vine acting upon its own until at last the trees thinned, and parted to reveal the fissure separating them from the castle. Its decrepit towers, having suffered a millennium of ill treatment, loomed just on the other side of the fissure nearly concealed by the forest itself, leaving the only real indication of habitation being the crumbled piles of smooth that outlined the old walls.

Applejack made an honest effort to never set hoof in this accursed forest, yet Harmony and his own loyalty to his friends complicated this promise. What had been a traumatic encounter those years ago were once again seeping to the surface of his mind as his eyes wandered the area again, only for the farmer to notice it was different.

His hoof immediately shot up to point at a section of the former wall far to the left.

“Is that a garden?” He asked Dusk Shine, unable to hide his surprise. The alicorn’s attention quickly shifted to the spot being pointed out.

“I can’t really tell from this far away, but I can confirm that on my last visit the castle ruins were more in ruins than now. Aside from a lack of debris, why do you believe it's a garden AJ?”

“Simple. I’m a farmer, and I know the difference between a tilled plot of land, and one cleaned up. That spot there looks like its being prepped.” His knowledge and tone was enough to convince the alicorn.

“That is unusual. I’d assumed Nighty was content, but never considered she would take it upon herself to make her own improvements…I’m a terrible pony.” He sighed as the light from his horn grew brighter before phasing out, and the pair watched as where the bridge had once stood platforms of light took shape, connecting the two sides together. “Hurry! The spell lasts long enough to gallop across!”

Not needing further explanation, and drawing from those years of experience, AJ followed his galloping friend across the bridge built by light and magic, only to gallop faster when he began hearing shattering glass behind him. No sooner had he made it did the final two panels of light shattered leaving an uncrossable gap, leaving the pair stranded until Dusk could cast the spell once again. AJ was only alerted to his friend's departure from the crunching of small pebbles, and made a quick trot to catch up, but held his tongue.

Old and new fears were alive well right now, and the farmer was more conflicted now than ever.

The old path toward what once served as the gatehouse hadn’t changed, but once the pair trotted pass its weathered arches, and rusted bars did the signs of recent renovations become more prominent; certain sections of rubble had been purposely cleared and neatly gathered along side the old walls to create a sort of barrier, explaining the spots of dirt seeing the sky for the first time in a millennium. This pattern repeated itself as far as they were willing to see, and not explore, yet even from here it was clear some attempts to repair the wall and castle keep had begun. Even the sturdy wooden doors of the keep had been partially cleaned or replaced, even if the quality of the work was questionable, the repair was obvious. Applejack was more surprised, and mildly impressed having guessed who could have done it, while Dusk Shine was more ashamed of his oversight, leaving Nightmare Moon alone for so long.

The click clack of their hooves would echo in the enclosed area, bouncing off the smooth stone. A natural occurrence morphed into a literal manifestation of their growing sense of pending dread as they finally pushed the doors open, the hinges silent save for those echoing hooves announcing visitors to an otherwise tomb of solitude.

Immediately Applejack felt his fur bristling in response to the unwelcoming atmosphere while his friend marched onward without the slightest trepidation weighing him down. Somewhere between the gatehouse and now Dusk had conjured up another orb of light, its rays looking dim against the curtain of shadows. Twice AJ opened his mouth to speak, but the fear kept the words chained to his chest leaving their hoofsteps trotting down the hall without them. This announcement hadn’t gone unnoticed by the two stallions as years dealing with threats to Equestria had tempered their nerves, yet even knowing who was to be expected kept the pair on edge as they feigned ignorance to the moving shadows above.

Their destination was the old throne room as it served the focal point of the old castle, and as Dusk put it would allow Nightmare Moon a sense of safety by providing options for her to escape…

‘Or attack.’ Applejack thought as it took everything he could muster to keep looking straight ahead and not at the wall to his left. The jewel-like orbs he would notice just on the outer edges of his sight was enough of a personal reminder of their venture here.

Truthfully this was almost an exact reconstruction of that longest night, just without the rest of the Elements backing them up. The good Princess Luna had made sure the farmer’s nightmares were no longer a problem, and while mighty thankful for the sound sleep, it hadn’t fully rid himself of the experience from his mind. In a twisted, almost harmony induced way Applejack being led back here was ironically facing his fears.

One moment they were at the doors of the castle, the next they were standing in the very center of the old throne room, and Applejack locked onto how cleaner it appeared. When compared to their first fight nearly four years ago it was obvious work had been done between then and now. The biggest change he’d noticed was the lack of dust naturally in the air, or being kicked up as they walked around what was left of Princess Celestia’s old throne. The ancient marble seat having been shattered before their first fight, still laid broken around the small platform with the bigger pieces having crushed the few steps as they slid down to their final resting place on the stone floor.

From their brief encounter with the Elements, and Dusk’s own description of his time spent with the alicorn, AJ would’ve believed anything with a connection to Celestia destroyed by now, yet it appeared unbothered.

‘That shouldn’t be overlooked.’ The farm stallion thought as he kept close to his companion who appeared a bit unsure what to do besides stand in the center of the former throne room.

As for him, he’d stay close by, but the urge to revisit, and explore this pivotal moment from his past compelled him. Without saying anything AJ absentmindedly began moving toward a particular spot away from the two thrones as he’d recalled the memories of that fight more clearly. The lone spot to suffer any true damage from that fateful encounter as it was the only spot to have been practically obliterated by the Nightmare’s magic, and of their group he’d been the target of the powerful attack, only missing it because of Rainbow Dash’s quick reflexes.

None of his friends knew how much that moment had bothered him, the idea of how close he’d been to an unfortunate end. It’d be something he’d keep to the end of his days if it weren’t for the returned Princess Luna discovering it by chance one night, creating another reason he’d been more open to her return to power than anypony else.

It also made this whole mess with Dusk Shine even worse for the farm stallion.

By itself, that was a plateful, but given his cordial correspondence with the Night Princess who constantly confided with him about her interests with Dusk Shine, it muddied the waters. Dusk Shine, the ‘Unofficial Prince’ of Canterlot. The very same pony whose actions were not only instrumental in the rescue of Princess Luna, but moonlighting with the incarnation of Evil that’d not only tried to kill them, but kept Luna, Celestia’s sister hostage for a millenia?

“Harmony n’ shakes this is something else.” Applejack whispered a tad louder than he’d wanted, and might have ignored it if nothing had happened.

Of course something happened.

The farmer and the student were alerted to the strangeness when the temperature fell off a cliff, and plunged them into an uncomfortable chill that left them feeling more vulnerable than cold. The suddenness broke their trepidation by replacing it with a fear of the unknown. While the farmer’s voice greedily clung to his throat in a desperate bid to keep quiet, he found his buddy Dusk Shine resisting the chill by mumbling something under his breath as he stood defiantly facing the arch way they had entered from.

Applejack found himself fighting his own muscles for control after they went and locked up on him when that chill bit him good from his ears and down his back. The sensation was sharp, and sudden, yet reacted real quick by seizing his body leaving him near petrified. He couldn’t even warn Dusk if he wanted to, and was forced to watch the alicorn stand alone with his little orb of magic, the only effective lighting the pair had. His thoughts and memories had conjured up a host of possibilities and probabilities before ever stepping hoof into the Everfree Forest, but when The Nightmare finally made her appearance all of that was chucked right out the window.

“What happened Nighty?” Dusk Shine asked, having ripped the thought right out the farmer’s head.

The Nightmare from his literal nightmares, and that image so vividly etched into his mind made this representation before him look like a Nightmare Night costume at best. The graceful sheen of her luxurious coat was dull, and matted from the migration of dust from the room to her fur; the mane and tail that always flowed with power hung limply to one side unable to better hide uneven clumps of mane, and a few missing patches of fur. Telltale signs of personal neglect that were exasperated when she attempted to save appearances by taking a measured step toward Dusk, yet found even that difficult once applying pressure to said hoof eliciting a silent struggle to keep standing.

None of this screamed the terrible mare of Nightmares, and foalhood tales. Instead, all Applejack could see now was the downward decline of a pony barely able to lift its head high enough to look anywhere save the ground to avoid misplacing her own hooves. Dusk Shine didn’t even give the mare the chance to make a fool of herself when he trotted up to her, despite her protests.

“We are not helpless.”

“I never said you were..what happened?”

Applejack couldn’t move or say anything as the magical grip remained firm, yet relying on his good sense of reading the tone and body language of a pony, he was once more surprised to sense little hostility between them. It reminded him when Big Mac and himself would get into fights growing up, and say things out of anger, but never meant them. The Nightmare’s tone was sharp, but her intent was duller than a river stone being skipped along the surface of the river.

Butterscotch's lessons came to mind, and how certain animals would mask their problems by feigning strength. AJ started feeling this was her way of hiding her problems by appearing stronger than she was, or at least he hoped so.

Unable to do anything save silently watching their exchange, Applejack did just that, watching them. Dusk had approached with a feigned subservient care that the farmer assumed was how he even won over the alicorn before, fearing her power and rank, but that mask meant little now. It was clear Dusk really did hold power between them, and was striving to leverage that right now. For her own displays, The Nightmare held her own mask as tightly as she could, yet even from this distance Applejack could see the invisible cracks, and how the mask was held up by nothing more than wishful thinking.

He ignored most of their actual conversation to focus on their body language, and was fascinated to witness the calibrated dance going on between them: pinning ears, hoof caresses, flicking of their tails, a snarl, a silent nod. It all resembles the rare arguments between Dash and himself…

…if Dash was an alicorn of darkness.

Lingering fears were slowly being forgotten as he silently watched his friend talk down the alicorn, until the grip keeping him pinned still was forgotten, and without its support, AJ quickly found himself lying on the floor with a dull thump. Picking himself up, Applejack remained silent as now found himself the focus of four eyes, two resembling cats, staring at him until the alicorn looked away.

“Tis done. Explain thy choice.” The Nightmare asked with her attention once more upon Dusk Shine, who managed to take the brunt of it without flinching.

“Applejack knew about our circumstances already, and his support would be insurmountable in winning support from the rest of the Elements…”

“NEY! NO MORE PONIES!”

“You can’t keep living like this Nighty! You’re literally dying without your connection to the moon, and I was a fool for not realizing it sooner! You’re coming back with us.”

“NO!”
“HOLD UP!”

Applejack’s own vote stalled the bickering ponies as the farmer cautiously approached them in a way to position himself in between the two lovers. The intent didn’t go unnoticed by the alcorn who began trembling with a new rage at the blatant challenge- only to be stopped by a hoof.

“Please everypony. Let me explain before we do or say anything too drastic. Applejack, she lost connection to all her magic including her passive reserves.” Dusk Shine turned to face the imposing alicorn of his heart. “I’m worried about you. Your health has deteriorated beyond appropriate levels deemed acceptable by the Equestrian Health Services and Canterlot Institute for Medicine to be left without supervision. My limited studies are enough to diagnose you with the beginnings of severe mana withdrawal classification 2.”

“WE ARE NOT A FOAL YOU LITTLE…”

“IT MEANS YA MIGHT DIE WITHOUT HELP YOU STUBBORN MULE!”

Nightmare Moon’s head whipped so fast Dusk Shine became worried it could aggravate her condition if she weren’t careful, but between the farmer and sickly alicron it was in some way a sign of respect to be treated as a great enough threat to warrant her full attention. This subtle display of respect went unnoticed to the farmer fighting his worries and instincts to flee as he, with an ironically stubborn attitude as well, stood his ground, even baring his own teeth to match her intensity of anger.

By Harmony’s will Dusk Shine was slow to react, and during that moment of hesitation the two adversaries had conversed with more than mere words could allow. Articulation of entire thoughts, and emotions were sent and received before the alicorn could even ready a spell. By the time he’d taken a single step, Applejack and Nightmare Moon had reached an agreement. Their stances were still stiff with an edge, but the will to fight had been subdued enough for the pair to see the other backing off as a formality, and not a sign of weakness.

Applejack turned to his buddy, and flicked his head toward the alicorn watching them.

“Given’ ya some space. I’d be up by the doors when we’re ready.” The statement was brief and left little room to argue before he trotted past for the hall they’d previously taken, leaving the alicorn prince reeling from the shift in tension, and unexpected support.

He turned to the one alicorn not sure what to expect, yet never in 2+ years of knowing her had he ever seen the mare look so fragile under the moonlight. Withered, and defeated. Appearance excluded, those vibrant slitted eyes seemed dull with an age he’d never seen prior till now, making Princess Luna’s own eyes appear to shine with a polished glee. The Nightmare, his Nighty, was not only dying, but desperately trying to hide her growing dependence on somepony more than herself- him.

Keeping with tradition, she spoke first.

“Thy companions are cut from a different cloth, perhaps one like ours.”

“Was that a compli…”

“Tis was respect for worthy adversaries. Nothing more Dusk Shine.” The alicorn didn’t even look away when she said his name, the condescending tone, and remarks absent. Dusk Shine’s distress became more pronounced hearing her refer to him as an equal, only confirming the situation was much worse than previously suspected. “Thy assumptions are correct. We lost thine magic some weeks ago, and been forced without it.”

“Night I...stupid. Of course you couldn’t tell me without the magic. I should have known or at least expected the possibility that sharing your connection with the moon wouldn’t be feasible. Did you sever the connection or did Luna?”

“Neither. Thine magic simply stopped.” Her tone and posture briefly took on the familiarity of their previous encounters, almost mocking his inability to have predicted this predicament. Sadly it was another ploy to deflect her deteriorating health, and one Dusk caught onto quickly.

“We both know magic doesn’t simply stop without a reason, either negation spells, insufficient mana, or injury as the common explanations to reduced magical output. Your explanation would only be viable coupled with one or any combination of the three previous possibilities afflicting you. Time is of the essence now, and there will be no arguing moving forward. You’re returning with Applejack, and I immediately.”

Her reaction was all telling, and only added to this strange night in the ruined castle. The infamous Nightmare Moon only dropped her head as she struggled to stand, not even reacting to the alicorn’s assistance as she was brought to her unstable hooves. Standing this close allowed Dusk to see how beaten her large wings were, paying particular attention to the damaged feathers that had been bent to cover up the bold spots of her wing. He wisely said nothing as he helped the alicorn hobble toward the hall where he would inform Applejack, but he had a feeling that the stallion already knew and accepted it.

The air between them would have stayed heavy if Nightmare Moon chose to remain silent.

“Thy friend, the mud pony.. hoard ponies like thee.”

Dusk Shine looked up to his wounded lover wondering if she would clarify her statement any further, but found her focus on her hooves once again as they continued their slow walk toward the hallway to begin the long journey back to Ponyville.