Goldie slumped against the railing, her aching body numbed by orgasm, pumping a river of cum from her pussy onto the stone tile.

Fuck...

Above everything else was a sense of satisfaction, and just below that: relief. She would probably be feeling the pain in the morning, but if nothing else she learned that her body was surprisingly durable.

Gaius fell back on his ass, breathing heavily. His focus had taken a back seat to a peculiar glow that drove thought from his mind. His cock still twitched now and then, leaking semen, and somewhere behind the glow he wondered how he was going to clean up the mess.

He was also worried about Goldilocks, but could see that she was already starting to stand. Gaius admired Goldie a great deal, valued her. No-pony had ever made him feel so good. Before that night, he didn't even think it was possible to have sex with a human girl, though he had dreamt about it since their first meeting. There was something about her, some quality she possessed that made her impossible to get out of his head.

Goldie filled her lungs with night-time air, arching her back and pressing up against the railing. She could feel Gaius' warmth draining out of her.

She picked up her dress and panties and tossed them further away to spare them from the growing puddle of cum, feeling it on the bottoms of her feet and between her toes.

There's so much...

It was peaceful for a moment, until the presence in the shadows decided to make itself known.

It stepped forward, throwing back the hooded cloak, which clung to her neck by the clasp, and would have marched straight up to Goldilocks if not for the cum-puddle.

"What the...?" uttered the would-be assailant, causing Gaius and Goldie to turn toward her.

She was a human, with dark-blue skin and baleful eyes. Her hair was black as a starless night, and on on her arms were bracelets and charms, each of them unique and seething with power. Around her neck she wore a number of amulets on chains of gold and silver.

Her shapely body was partially covered in bandages, wound tightly and fraying a bit along the edges.

"I finally found you, princess." said the warlock in a voice both overly-loud and stunningly familiar.

"Luna?" asked Goldilocks, grabbing Gaius's tail to cover herself.

The figure grinned, her white teeth brilliant in the moonlight. She raised her arms, moonlight glinting off the bracelets until a great shadow came over the moon and plunged them all into a dull and unnatural dark.

"Who are you? How did you do that?" asked Gaius, bracing himself for a fight.

The strange warlock made an expression feigning offense, illuminated by the amulets around her neck.

"Don't you recognize the princess of the night?" she said in Luna's voice.

"You're not Luna." said Goldilocks, her eyes narrowing.

At least, not anymore.

Suddenly the air around them stirred and the shadow was ripped away, the moon swiftly rising to its zenith.

"But I am." came the voice of the true princess, echoing off the stone. She alighted on wings of night, wreathed in renewed moonlight, placing herself between Goldie and the warlock.

The guards that weren't busy keeping the peace among the guests formed a perimeter around the confrontation, and Goldie thought she might die of embarrassment.

At least it's dark.

The warlock became angry, as was evident in her voice.

"You... you don't know who you are. You don't know who she is!"

"What I'd like to know is who you are." said Luna.

The warlock stood up straight, looking the princess in the eye.

"I am the face in the mirror." she began. "I was the the light in the night sky, but no longer, for my light was not my own, and she took it back."

The warlock was shouting now, anger spiking her words.

Now I see what I truly am: merely the shadow cast by her light."

Luna shook her head. "I've made my peace with my sister, though it took a great deal to banish the curse that jealousy had cast." She stamped her hoof to emphasize what she said next. "The nightmare is gone, yet I remain!"

Her words gave the warlock pause. It was only second or two, but Goldie noticed, and she thought Luna may have noticed as well.

The warlock grabbed one of the amulets she was wearing and held it up, red light escaping between her fingers. Shadows gathered around her, taking the shapes of creatures from the Everfree.

Gaius took a step back as a timber-wolf, cockatrice and a manticore apparently made of liquid dark loomed before him.

Then, as quick as they had come, they were gone; torn apart by the blinding rays of the rising sun.

"That's quite enough." said Celestia, approaching from the East, the dawn breaking behind her. She strode along the path, shadows evaporating as the harsh daylight brought everything clear into view.

Goldilocks was glad to see her mentor, but not particularly thrilled to be seen by her.

She regretted not taking the opportunity to slip into her dress while it was dark, and clung to Gaius in desperation.

At least most of the guards had their gazes fixed on the warlock. They simply awaited their princess's command, prepared to subdue the intruder with hoof and horn if need be.

As the circle of guards closed in, the warlock reached behind herself, into the darkness beneath her cloak, and withdrew an amber talisman resembling a petrified eye, mounted on a rod.

She grasped the rod with both hands and held it to the sun, diffusing its rays. Where each touched the ground another warlock appeared, rising to its feet and taking off in a different direction.

The guards clashed with the duplicates, dispelling the mirages one by one, but by the time they were dispersed the warlock was nowhere to be found.

Author's Note

I finished the rough draft (such as it was) of this chapter a while ago, but for some reason struggled with deciding on the wording of some of the dialogue. It is done now, in any case, and I hope you enjoy it.