The Muneris Pony

Chapters

Chapter I: New Arrival
Chapter II: Canterlot Magic
Chapter III: Cold Stone
Chapter IV: Evil Enchantress?
Chapter V: Chaotic Source
Chapter VI: Aftermath
Chapter VII: The Calm Before the Storm
Chapter VIII: Another Arrival
Chapter IX: Dusk
Chapter X: A New Dawn

Chapter I: New Arrival

The train screeched to a halt at the Ponyville train station just in time. The doors slide open and more ponies begin pouring out than in. Amongst the group of ponies exiting the train, a tall, black pegasus mare with long white hair trotted out with a confident smile on her face. Her grey eyes sparkled in the sunlight as she looked around with a mix of curiosity behind joy.

"So, this is Ponyville in Equestria, huh?" She asked with a relatively deep yet friendly voice.

"Yeah, this is the place," a female griffon with a raspy voice says as she exits the train as she pulled a wheel case behind her. Black fur covered her lion half while her eagle head shined white in the sunlight. "I've heard the griffons think it's lame." She stops next to the pegasus. "What does 'lame' even mean anyway, Night Wing?" She asked as she looked at the mare.

"I think it's something along the lines of 'boring' or something like that," Night answered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Though I don't understand how anyone could think this place is boring. I mean, look at all the happy ponies trotting around, Cora!" Night exclaimed as she gestured to all the colorful ponies in the station.

Even though the train station was simple and open air, it was filled with earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike. All of them with smiles on their faces as they greet their families and friends arriving or the few departing.

Neither Night Wing nor Cora spent any time in Ponyville, let alone Equestria. Night Wing was not born in this country. She was born on a small island just outside of the Equestrian border. Though she resembled a pegasus mare from Equestria, two distinct differences separated her from the Equestrian ponies. The first was the blue gem dawned on her forehead. The second was -

"Hey, mom! Look!" a young voice called out. Night looked over to find a filly earth pony pointing a hoof her way with excitement as a mare followed her hoof in curiosity. "That pegasus has no cutie mark!" The older mare took a double-take.

"Cutie mark?" Night Wing asked as she glanced at her form to see if something was wrong. Then she realized something. She glanced at her flanks before looking around at the other ponies around her. Most of the ponies, especially the older ones had different images on their flanks.

"That's odd," some ponies said aloud. "She's a mare. Where's her cutie mark?" others queried. "Don't stare," some parents told their foals.

Cora showed signs of discomfort at all the eyes staring at them. She could not help but notice that if it was not Night's lack of a 'cutie mark' the ponies kept staring at her.

"Is that a griffon?" some ponies queried to each other. "I've never seen a creature like that before," others observed.

"What's about a 'cutie mark'?" Cora asked as she looked around. "And why do they keep staring at me?"

"That's right!" Night exclaimed. "Equestrian ponies have special marks on their butts." Night looked at Cora. "And I assume griffons are rare in this part of the country."

"Well, the part about me makes sense," Cora observed as she glanced at Night's hindquarters. "But, why don't you have one of those 'cutie mark' things?"

"Maybe because Muneris aren't like Equestrians," Night observed as she started walking off. "After all, I am from a different country."

"An island is hardly worth calling a country," Cora observed as she followed Night with the case firmly in her claw.

"We still are independent from Equestria," Night explained with a smile.

"So, why are we here again?" Cora asked. "If we're independent, why come here at all?"

"To learn," Night answered. "The president would like to form a relationship with Equestria someday, and it'll help to have some residents learn everything we can." Night stopped to look at Cora with a smile. "Besides, with griffons being native to Equestria, this'll be like a return home to you."

"It's not a 'return home' if you've never been here before," Cora sighed. "You found me as an egg, remember?"

"Oh, right," Night observed as she scratched her chin with her right forehoof. "I wonder how a griffon egg managed to get all the way out there in the first place."

It was a complete mystery how Cora's egg got so far from Equestria. Night Wing found the gold nugget as a filly when she was outside playing in the sands on the beach. Gold had no real value in her homeland, but she kept it anyway. That is, until it hatched. Ever since then, Night Wing cared for Cora until they both reached adulthood. The two could not be separated and remain close friends to this day. So when Night Wing was assigned to visit Equestria, Cora jumped at the opportunity to join her friend.

"Anyway," Night said as she shook her head. "We came here to learn about this 'Summer Sun Celebration' so, let's get to it!"

Just as they left the train station, an expensive gold carriage pulled by two white stallion pegasi landed. A lavender unicorn mare hopped out with a purple and green baby dragon on her back. The mare politely thanked the stallions who pulled the carriage before trotting off.

"Wow!" Cora exclaimed. "She must be one important pony!" she observed with an excited smile. "Hey! Where are you going?!" Cora called to Night who trotted up to the stallions.

"Excuse me, sirs," Night called out as she approached. They looked at her with narrow brows. "Forgive me, but who was that mare you just dropped off?" she politely asked with a friendly smile. The stallions looked at her, taking note of her blank flanks with raised brows before snorting.

"That was Twilight Sparkle," one answered. "Princess Celestia's personal protege."

"She's here to make sure preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration are in order," the other added.

Night glanced at Twilight's direction with an excited smile. "Wow! The Princess' protege!" she exclaimed as Cora walked up.

"Night Wing, vex'gnai jura, what were you thinking?!" Cora protested.

Night shot Cora a sharp glair. "Watch your language, Cora!"

Cora always had a tough time holding her tongue in times of stress, so she took to using the Arish language, the primary language of the Muneris, whenever she cursed. Night Wing never liked it when Cora cursed in any language. Even if no one understood what Cora said, Night Wing did know the words, and she always voiced her displeasure.

"Sorry, but those guys look serious," Cora observed the stallions. "One wrong move and you could be pony food!" she whispered in protest.

"You know equines are vegetarians, right?" Night countered.

"You know what I mean!" Cora snarled.

Night rolled her eyes before smiling at the stallions. "Thank you," she said with a respectful bow of her head. The stallions inclined their heads before they turned to take off. "Well, if we could meet that Twilight Sparkle, I'm sure we could learn a lot about Equestria! The president will be so happy!" Night beamed in anticipation while Cora rolled her eyes with a smile.

"You're incredible, you know that?" Cora asked with a chuckle. Cora always took pleasure in Night's joyful demeanor and positive attitude.

"I guess it's why you stick around," Night observed as she rubbed the back of her hoof against her chest with a confident smile. Cora took Night in her claws and gave her a noogie, earning a fit of laughter from her equine friend. "Oh, stop it, Cora!" Night protested. After a few seconds, Cora relented and let Night go with a smile. Night straightened her mane with her foreleg and a smile. "Now, we need a place to stay for the night. Any place catching your eye?"

"I don't see anyplace," Cora observed as she looked left and right. "Just a bunch of small houses."

Suddenly, a streak of pink flashed passed them, causing a gust of wind to woosh past them and making their hair and feathers puff up. They stood there in shock for a few seconds before looking at each other.

"What the jura was that?" Cora asked as the gem on Night's forehead flashed blue and a comb appeared in front of her and landed in her hoof.

"I have no idea," Night answered as she started combing her mane and tail before passing the comb to Cora. "And, watch your language." Cora rolled her eyes as she took the item in her claw and straightened her feathers with it. When the two finished, it vanished. They looked up to see several ponies staring at them in shock and confusion.

"What are they staring at?" Cora asked as she leaned closer to her friend.

"We are strangers here," Night answered as she glanced back and forth. "It's probably the blank flank and griffon thing, like before."

"Excuse me," a male voice called from behind. The two looked back to find a yellow pegasus stallion with orange stripes smiling at them. "Did I just see you use magic?" he asked with a friendly smile.

"Why?" Cora asked. "Isn't magic common in Equestria?"

"For unicorns and alicorns, yes," the stallion answered. "But, you're a pegasus..." he stopped to notice Night's lack of a cutie mark, "... with no cutie mark," he observed. Night glanced at her flank.

"Oh, I'm a Muneris," Night explained with a smile.

"A moon-air-ee?" the stallion queried as he scratched his chin. "Wait, isn't that the breed of pegasi from the island outside the border?"

"That's the one," Night answered. "You know it?"

"Barely," the stallion answered. "I've been all over Equestria and learned a bit about other nations, but nothing major."

"Well, the gem on my forehead," Night began as she pointed to the blue stone under the tuft of hair on her head, "is what gives us Muneris our power. We're all born with one and they grant us each a unique ability. In my case, I can conjure up any object I please." She held up a hoof and made a mug appear. "Some of us can levitate things, teleport; It's all different." She smiles at the stallion as she makes the mug vanish.

"I see," the stallion observed with a smile. "That's really cool."

"You said you've been all over Equestria," Cora observed with a raised brow. "You special or somethin'?"

"Oh no," the stallion chuckled. "I'm just a humble pegasus who lives in little ol' Ponyville." He blinked. "Oh, I'm Blazing Feathers, by the way." He extended a hoof.

"I'm Night Wing," Night said as she bowed her head with a smile. "And this is my best friend, Cora." She pointed at the griffon who bowed too. Blazing held his hoof out with a smile.

"Um, why are you holding your hoof out like that?" Cora asked as she pointed a claw at Blazing's extended hoof.

"It's a hoof-shake," Blazing answered. "It's a form of greeting here in Equestria."

"Like this?" Night queried as she took his right hoof in her left and shook it.

"Close enough," Blazing chuckled. Cora followed suit. "Well, welcome to Ponyville!"

Suddenly, the skies were cleared out of all the clouds, catching the attention of the trio on the ground. "Wow!" Cora exclaimed. "That was ten seconds flat!" She looked at her wrist as if looking at a watch that was not there.

"That would be Rainbow Dash," Blazing explained. "She's the pegasus in charge of the weather in Ponyville." He stretched his wings out with a smirk. "She's gonna wanna burn off steam now!" He kicked off the ground and in a flash of fire, he flew off. "Catch ya later!" he called out as he flew away. Night and Cora stared at where he was with their jaws on the ground.

"Wow!" Cora exclaimed. Night looked at the ground where Blazing stood and took notice of the small flame left in his place. Four flames in the shape of horseshoes exactly where his hooves were. In a flash, a dome bowl appeared and Night placed it upside down over the fire to smother it out. "Was he a Muneris?"

"I don't think so," Night replied as she finished with the fire. "He didn't have a gem on his forehead and I swear there was that special mark on his butt."

"Staring at his yza, Night?" Cora asked with a smirk, earning a sharp glare from her friend for a couple of reasons this time. "Sorry," Cora chuckled. "Well, if he wasn't a Muneris, then how'd he create fire like that?"

"I remember learning about another rare breed of pegasus who have magic powers in their wings," Night observed. "It's mostly elemental, like fire or lightning, but I thought they were on the other side of the world."

"So, why is one here?" Cora asked.

"We're here, aren't we?" Night replied as she started to walk off.

"True," Cora agreed as she grabbed the case and followed.

"It's very possible that some settled this land and he's one of their descendants," Night observed. "Or maybe it's some kind of mutation." That statement earned a few sharp glares from the ponies around them. "I guess that was the wrong choice of words." Night observed as she continued.

The two toured the small town for a while, asking about places to stay and what the celebration was all about. As they walked through the streets, Night could sware she heard harmonic music coming from birds in the distance. "That's interesting," Cora observed.

"What, the singing birds?" Night asked as she stopped to look at her friend. "Birds sing all the time."

"Not like this," Cora countered. "Those birds are in perfect harmony, minus one. Like they're being conducted."

"Maybe they have something to do with the celebration tonight," Night observed. "Come on. We still need a place to stay."

After a bit more walking and asking around, they were interrupted by a pink earth pony with a big grin on her lips. "Hi there!" she cheered. "I'm Pinkie Pie and I'm throwing a party at the Golden Oak Library! You should come!"

Night blinked at the sudden appearance of this pony. "Um..."

"After all, you're new here just like that unicorn, so this party is perfect for you too!" Pinkie continued.

"What are you-" Cora began.

"C'mon!" Pinkie said as she poked her head from behind Cora's shoulder. "You two will have lots of fun there!"

"Um, Pinkie, is it?" Night asked in a state of confusion, but it was useless.

"Less talking, more walking!" Pinkie cheered as she began pushing the two toward a large tree being used as a building. Cora dropped the case behind them as they were pushed by the pink pony.

They soon arrived at the library and Pinkie quickly pushed them inside before closing the door behind them. "Quick! Turn off the lights and find a place to hide!" Pinkie dived behind a table in the middle of the room as the lights went out. Night made a flashlight appear in her hoof and turned it on to find a crowd of ponies gathered within the room. "Hey! Turn that light off!" Pinkie whispered.

Night looked at Cora, who looked frustrated about losing their case before they both shrugged and found a place to hide. Night turned the light off and made it vanish just in time for the door to open.

"Thank you, bye!" A mare's voice called out before the door slammed.

"Rude," a young male said.

"Sorry, Spike," the mare replied, "but I need to convince the princess about Nightmare Moon without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?"

Just then, the lights turned on and everyone in the room cried out "surprise!" at once. Night flinched at the sudden lights and sounds for a second before smiling at the joy in the room.

"Well, that's quite a greeting," Night observed as she stood from her hiding place. Cora stood next to her.

"Yeah," Cora said as she scratched the inside of her ear with her pinkie claw. "All this for that unicorn."

Night looked to find the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle being greeted by multiple ponies while looking annoyed.

"That's Twilight Sparkle," Night observed with a smile. "Maybe we can learn more about Equestria from her."

"What makes her so special?" Cora replied with a raised brow.

"She is the princess' protege, remember?" Night smiled at Cora. "She came to town on that fancy coach with those pegasi." Night began to make her way toward Twilight, who ran upstairs before Night could get close to her.

"Right," Cora sighed. "Well, you go talk to her while I go back to find our bag." Cora tried to get to the door to no avail with all the ponies enjoying the party. She rolled her eyes and eventually gave up. "Whatever. It's not as if these ponies are gonna steal an unattended bag left in the streets."

"Relax," Night chuckled as she stood next to her griffon friend. "Ponies are extremely nice in Equestria. I'm willing to bet somepony is trying to find the owner as we speak."

"What happened to talking to Twilight?" Cora asked.

"She went upstairs and I don't want to fight the crowd," Night answered with a smile. "Besides, this might be fun."

"You might be right," Cora submitted with a roll of her yellow eyes. She kept thinking about their case outside.

The door opened and a blue pegasus stallion with black hair came in with a friendly smile on his face and the wheelcase on his back. "Somepony lose a case?" Night smiled.

"See?" Night asked with a smile. "I told you someone would return it to us. Excuse me, that's ours." She waved at the stallion with a smile. The stallion smiled and started for the two.

"I bet griffons would've ransacked it by now," Cora observed with a relenting smile.

The stallion walked up and slid the case over his head onto the ground in front of him. "I heard Pinkie Pie was throwing a party for some newcomers and saw this on the road." Cora took the handle in her claw.

"Yeah," Night began, "we only just arrived earlier today, and that Pinkie Pie character just came out of nowhere and brought us here."

"Yeah, she does that," the stallion chuckled.

"Thanks for bringing the case to us," Cora said with a smile as she grabbed the handle of the case.

"Hey, a polite griffon," the pegasus observed. "Usually your kind would demand a bit for something like that." Cora raised her brow.

"I knew griffons were hard-heads, but I didn't know they were greedy," Cora observed. The stallion raised a confused brow.

"I'm Night Wing, and this is my friend, Cora," Night introduced herself to the stallion. "We're not from Equestria."

"You're a Muneris pony, right?" the stallion asked with a smile.

"You know my kind?" Night asked with a smile while Cora raised a brow.

"Oh yeah," he replied, "My dad used to travel a lot and told me about the island outside the border. I'm Zuro, by the way." He bowed. Night smiled and bowed back. "And your Equestrian is quite good. You have the accent right and everything."

"Something's different about this one," Cora whispered into Night's ear, earning a nudge from Night's right fore-elbow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zuro," Night greeted with a friendly smile.

"Welp," Zuro stood tall with a smile. "I'm gonna join in the fun!" He rushed into the crowd.

"You know something was up with that one, right?" Cora asked Night as soon as Zuro vanished into the group.

"Zorumxu, Cora!" Night countered. "It's not our place to decide what's odd about the ponies here. Besides, he was kind enough to return our case to us."

"Yeah, but I bet we're missing some stuff," Cora said as she dove her head inside the case to search its contents. Night giggled at the griffon half-buried in the case. After a few minutes, Cora pulled her head out of the bag with a raised brow.

"Anything missing?" Night asked with a smile.

"No," Cora answered as she closed the case. "Not a single thing out of place."

"Come on," Night giggled. "Let's join the party and get to know everypony here."

The party lasted throughout the entire night. Every pony indulged in games, treats, drinks, and more until the early morning hours. The entire time, Cora kept the case in a tight grip to make sure they would not lose it again. Night Wing mingled with everyone she could to learn everything about the ponies while enjoying the fun. Many of the ponies could not help but notice Night's lack of a cutie mark, which she was happy to explain again and again. The more they mingled, the more the ponies accepted and welcomed the two.

"Come on, everypony!" a voice called out. "It's time to watch the sunrise!" The ponies began leaving the building as Twilight came from upstairs with the baby dragon by her side. The unicorn did not look any less annoyed. In fact, she looked more concerned since the party began last evening.

Night ignored the concerned look on Twilight's face and instead looked up at the others with an excited smile. "Let's go with them!" she told Cora, who began to drag the case behind her. "Just leave the bag, we'll come back for it later."

"But-" Cora began to protest.

"It's not like we won't know where it is, and everypony will be gathered for the celebration," Night explained. Cora rolled her eyes and placed the bag in a corner by the staircase before following her friend.

At the town hall, every pony gathered around to watch the princess rise the sun with her magic. The Birds sang in harmony and the lights dimmed.

"This will be quite the experience," Night observed as Cora sat next to her at the back of the crowd.

"It's just the sunrise, what's so special about that?" Cora asked.

"Shh!"

Cora blinked at the random shushing from the crows.

"Let's respect the event," Night whispered with a smile.

The birds chirped a regal melody as a spotlight shined on the balcony overhead. Night Wing and Cora watched along with the rest of the crowd only to find no one standing where the spotlight shined.

"Um, isn't this princess supposed to appear now?" Cora asked as she looked around. Night raised a brow at the confused ponies around them.

"She's gone!"

The crowd gasped in shock.

"That can't be good," Cora observed with a raised brow.

"Look!" Night cried out as she pointed at the balcony.

A cloud of purple smoke filled the area before taking the form of a black alicorn dawned with cyan armor. Her mane and tail flowed like smoke around her as stars sparkled within. She cackled over the crowd.

"Is that the princess?" Cora asked Night as she kept her eyes trained on the alicorn.

"No," Night stated sharply. "I can't believe it, but that's Nightmare Moon." She kept her voice quiet so no one would hear, but all the ponies were too focused on this new being before them to take notice of their conversation.

"That's just an old pony tale," Cora observed.

A crack of lightning filled the air in the building. "Stand back, you foals!" Everyone watched as Nightmare disappeared in a purple cloud that flew out the front door.

"Come back here!" a cyan pegasus with rainbow hair flew after the cloud.

"What should we do?" Cora asked Night as the two ran outside.

"What can we do?" Night replied. "That's the ancient alicorn of darkness."

"Then, let's get the vex'g out of here!" Cora protested.

"Cora! I'm not gonna tell you to hold your tongue again!" Night snarled. Cora only rolled her eyes. "Look, maybe we can find some information back at the library. Any information we can find at all might help get everything under control."

"Smart," Cora agreed. "We can grab our case and get on the next train to the coast."

"You two aren't gonna leave when things start getting exciting, are you?" Blazing asked as he came out of Town Hall behind them.

"You gonna stop us?" Cora asked.

"Nope," Blazing replied. "But, I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions. I saw several ponies heading back to the library already. We can follow and see what's up."

Cora looked at Night as if looking for approval. Night scratched her chin in thought. "Well, we were planning on going to the library anyway. If there's some way we can help at all, I want us to take that chance." Cora groaned.

"One of these days, you're gonna get yourself killed, Night," Cora protested.

"That's why I have you at my side, Cora," Night smiled as she nudged the griffon's shoulder.

Blazing led them back to the library, where they found a book already opened on a stand at the end of the room. "Looks like somepony's already been here." Night observed as she walked up to the book.

"What gave it away?" Cora retorted. "The mess of a party?"

"No, this book," Night corrected as she looked through the pages.

"What's that?" Blazing asked as he walked up.

"It's a book on something called 'The Elements of Harmony'," Night answered as she read the pages. "A source of power that was used by Princess Celestia a millennia ago to defeat Nightmare Moon."

"Any idea where to find them?" Cora asked as she walked up to Night's other side.

"No-" Night began. "... wait. There's something in here about an ancient castle in the Everfree Forest."

"Woah, no can do on that department," Blazing interjected. The two looked at him in curiosity. "The Everfree Forest is a dangerous place. I'm not taking some newcomers someplace where they could get seriously hurt or worse."

"We can handle ourselves," Cora protested.

"I'm sure, but-" Blazing began only to be interrupted by the book being closed. Both Blazing and Cora looked at Night who turned toward the door.

"A Muneris, a griffon, and an elemental pegasus," Night said. "Between the three of us, we can handle whatever comes our way in that forest."

"Are you sure about that?" Blazing asked. "I mean, I'm sure your ponies wouldn't like it if they learned something bad happened to you and I know the princess would not be happy with me for letting a couple of guests get hurt on her land."

"I'm sure," Night replied with a confident smile. "Let's go!"

The trio headed out of the library. "Blazing, you know this area, you take the lead!" Night ordered. Blazing smiled as he kicked off the ground.

"Follow me!"

Night and Cora took off after him and they flew toward the forest. However, by the time they got to the trees, the sun peaked over the horizon. The three stopped mid-flight to look around.

"Um, what just happened?" Cora asked as she looked at Blazing who wore a smile on his face.

"I guess we won't have to do anything after all," he observed. "If the sun is up, that means Princess Celestia's back and Nightmare Moon must be gone."

"Well, now what?" Cora asked Night. "I was actually starting to get excited instead of scared." Night only chuckled at her friend.

"Come on, let's go back to town," Night said as she turned back.

When they got back to Ponyville, everyone began filling the streets with smiles on their faces. Everyone mingled with each other as they talked about what was going on. Excitement for the return of the princess. The whole thing went on for several minutes before a large carriage landed in the streets. A white alicorn with flowing technicolored hair sat next to a blue alicorn with a bit of a frown on her face as she hung her head. These two had to be the princesses of Equestria. The whole town gathered around to greet Princess Celestia and her newly reformed little sister, Princess Luna. Night Wing stood beside her griffon friend staring at the new princess with intrigue; Almost in a hypnotic state. A nudge to the side pulled her out of her trance and she looked at Cora.

"You okay?" Cora asked. "You've been staring at that blue alicorn for a while.

"Sorry," Night smiled. "I read about how Equestria was ruled by two sisters, but I thought that was just some old pony tale or something."

"Yeah, who'd have thought it was all true," Cora observed as she glanced at the two regal sisters. "Omxlutopru."

"Incredible indeed," Night agreed as she smiled at the sisters.

"Now, can we find a place to crash?" Cora groaned. "We've been up all night and the train was the worst place to sleep." Night giggled.

"Of course," Night answered. "Let's go back to get our bag."

"Need a place to crash?" Blazing asked with a smile. Night and Cora looked at him with a smile of their own. "I have some room in my home. You two can use the spare room while you get settled."

"That's kind of you," Night said with a warm smile.

"Hey!" another familiar voice called out. The three looked to find Zuro running up with the case on his back. "You might be needing this!" He smiled as he handed it over to Cora.

"You went back to the library to get this?" Cora asked. "How'd you know it was there?"

"I went there earlier with some friends to find out what the hay was going on and saw it there," Zuro explained. "So, how long you plan on staying in Ponyville?"

"Not long-" Cora began.

"We were planning on just staying for the event, but this place is warming up on me," Night piped up. "Maybe we can settle down here?" she asked Cora with an eager smile.

"Seriously?" Cora asked. "We're here to build up relations, not build a home."

"And what better way to learn all we can than by living here?" Night countered. "This place is wonderful! Full of magic, friendly ponies, and excitement!" Night bounced in place at the thought of more adventures in Equestria.

"You call an ancient alicorn appearing out of nowhere, then vanishing without a trace exciting?" Cora retorted.

"So what if we missed everything?" Night asked. "We might run into more adventurous things the longer we stay here!"

"I could fill you in on the details," Zuro offered with a smile.

"Maybe later," Cora yawned. "Right now, I need a nap." The three others chuckled before following Blazing to his home.

Author's Note

The language being used is my own Conlang I have been working on for a while now called Arish. And yes, the words Cora used were not friendly words for an E rating, so I will not translate them here. I still want this tory to be more friendly than what I've been trying.

Chapter II: Canterlot Magic

Over the next few weeks, Night and Cora learned quite a bit about the history of Ponyville and the culture of this small town. How Ponyville was founded by the Apple family with the help of the Rich family through the making of something called Zap Apple Jam and starting the apple farm. Since Ponyville was founded by earth ponies, the residents have made it crucial to honor earth pony traditions in town. Such as a marathon to knock leaves out of trees in the fall season, or melting snow for spring.

Night Wing excitedly walked the streets with Cora by her side, both eager to learn more about Equestria. "Hey, what's that?" Cora's voice caught Night's attention. Night looked at Cora, who was pointing a claw at the clouds.

Rainbow Dash was flying through the clouds with another creature flying after her. "Isn't that Rainbow Dash?" Night asked.

"But, who's that with her?" Cora asked.

"It looks like another griffon," Night observed.

"Another griffon?!" Cora asked as she grabbed Night's shoulders. "We have to meet that griffon!"

"Calm down," Night chuckled. "We can go say high."

"Don't bother," a familiar voice said from behind. The two looked to find Pinkie Pie lounging at a table while sipping a smoothie through a straw. "Gilda's a grump. She popped my balloons, and told me to 'buzz off'."

"Well, that's not very friendly," Night observed.

"We should still try," Cora interjected before kicking off the ground and flying up to the clouds.

"Cora, wait!" Night took off after her.

Cora got to the cloud Rainbow sat on with the griffon. "Hey," Cora said as she landed on the cloud.

"Cora?" Rainbow smiled at the black griffon. "Awesome! Now I have two griffons to hang with! But, where's Night Wing?"

"Right here," Night called as she hovered over the cloud.

"Hey, Night," Rainbow smiled. "Night, Cora, this is my gal pal, Gilda." She pointed at the brown griffon with white feathers. "She's a griffon like you, Cora." Cora smiled at the other griffon.

"Hi," Cora greeted with an excited smile.

"S'up," Gilda carelessly said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Wow, another griffon!" Cora observed as she looked Gilda over. Gilda raised a brow at Cora.

"What are you starin' at, dude?" Gilda asked.

"I'm sorry, I've just never seen another griffon before," Cora explained. Gilda only looked confused.

"Hey, Night, why don't you sit down and take a load off?" Rainbow offered.

"I can't," Night replied as she hovered over the cloud. Rainbow Dash raised a brow at Night. "Watch." Night let herself fall on the cloud, only to fall straight through it. Rainbow gasped and dove over the cloud to find Night smiling at her as she moved back above the cloud. "Only some Muneris can interact with clouds." Night explained.

"Moon-air-ee?" Gilda asked with a raised brow. "Sounds lame." Cora raised a brow at Gilda.

"Night Wing! Cora!" A voice grabbed their attention. The four looked over the edge of the cloud to find Twilight with Spike at her side on the streets.

"I wonder what they want," Night observed. "Let's go find out." She smiled at Cora.

"But -" Cora began to protest as she looked at Gilda.

"We can talk with Gilda later," Night interjected. "Twilight needs us for something." Cora groaned as she hung her head.

"Maybe we can chat later?" Cora asked Gilda and Rainbow.

"Yeah," Rainbow smiled.

"Whatever," Gilda groaned. "Hey, Dash? Want another race?"

"Huh! You're on!" Rainbow readied to pounce.

"On your mark," Gilda got in the same pose. "Get set. Go!" Both took off, destroying the cloud in the process. Cora gasped as she quickly caught herself in mid-air.

"Come on, Cora," Night softly smiled. "Let's see what Twilight wants." She began to descend back to earth with Cora behind her. The two landed in front of Twilight. Night wore a warm smile on her face while Cora kept glancing at where Gilda flew off. "Hey, Twilight. What's up?"

"Well, I've been writing to Princess Celestia every week since I moved to Ponyville," Twilight began.

"And today, one came for you," Spike interjected as he held up a scroll.

"Wait, what?" Cora asked as she looked at Spike.

"For me?" Night asked as Spike unrolled the scroll and cleared his voice with an "eh em."

"Dear Twilight Sparkle," Spike began. "You mentioned in one of your letters that a Muneris -"

"It's pronounced "moon-air-ee", Spike," Cora interjected.

"Moon-air-ee," Spike corrected himself with a bit of a roll of his eyes. "... who came to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration. I would like you to personally extend an invitation to Night Wing to come here to Canterlot this afternoon." Night Wing blinked as Cora's jaw dropped to the ground.

"The princess wants me to come to the capital?!" Night gasped.

"I know, right?" Twilight beamed.

"Eh em," Spike continued. "I, Princess Celestia, would like to meet with Night Wing to discuss the reasons for her visit to Equestria."

"This is amazing!" Night cheered as she grabbed Cora's cheeks. "We get to talk to the princess!"

"I don't know about that," Twilight interjected. "The letter mentions you by name. She didn't say anything about Cora." Both Cora and Night looked at Twilight. "It's probably better that you go alone, Night." Twilight suggested with a sheepish smile.

"I don't go anywhere without Cora," Night countered.

"But -" Twilight began.

"Where she goes, I go," Cora stated firmly. "I've never left Night's side in the twenty years I've known her, and I'm not about to start now."

"Come on, Cora," Night began as she spread her wings. "Let's go!" She kicked off the ground and Cora followed after her.

"Wait!" Twilight called out in vain. "There's more to the letter! And Celestia only mentioned Night!" Night and Cora were already in flight, heading straight for the mountain north of Ponyville.

After flying for a while, Night and Cora entered the city of Canterlot. Everything was bright, shiny, and full of magic. Like Ponyville, Canterlot was full of all three pony kinds. However, where Ponyville was dominated by earth ponies, Canterlot was dominated by unicorns. As they flew, they noticed all the streets were full of unicorns dressed in fancy clothes and holding their chings up high with their eyes closed.

"This place is incredible!" Night cheered as they flew through the streets.

"I don't know," Cora observed. "Canterlot has a lot of shine to it, but Ponyville had something special." Night giggled as they flew through the streets together.

The duo flew around the streets for most of the morning to take in the sights. They stopped now and again for a quick snack or to explore some of the stores before they made their way toward the castle at the heart of the city. Everything appeared clean and properly maintained. Unicorns everywhere used their magic to operate the city from the carriages to the lights on the rooves. They landed at the main gates and took a moment to admire the castle.

"That's a big castle," Cora observed.

"It's the home of the Princess of Equestria," Night said. "Only the best for the best."

"Then, why doesn't the president live in a castle, like that?" Cora asked.

"Different nation, different leadership rules," Night chimed as she began trotting to the gates.

"Halt!" A pair of wings blocked her path. "Who goes there?!" Night looked up at the pegasus guards at the gate.

"Oh," Night smiled. "This is Cora, and I am Night Wing." Night introduced themselves to the guards as Cora stood next to her with a smile.

"S'up?" Cora said.

"Night Wing?" One of the guards queried. "Princess Celestia's expecting you." The guards lowered their wings. Night and Cora began to walk past them before one of the guards held a hoof up. "But the griffon stays here."

"Where Night goes, I go," Cora countered.

"Sirs, Cora is my oldest and closest friend," Night interjected. "She hasn't left my side for years. If she doesn't go in, then either Celestia must come out or we need to think of another time to get together." The guards looked at each other before looking back at the two.

"Wait here," one said before heading into the gates. They looked through the gates to find him talking to a white unicorn stallion with blue hair and purple armor.

"That must be the captain," Night observed.

The unicorn inclined his head and walked with the pegasus back to the gate while removing his helmet. His blue mane waved over his face and down his shoulder. Night smiled at his good looks. "Night Wing and Cora?" The two bowed their heads. "I am Captain Shining Armor." He introduced himself. "Please, come with me." He turned back to the gate as he put his helmet back on.

"Both of us?" Cora asked. Shining only looked back with a sharp look in his eye.

"Both of you." He said before continuing. Night and Cora followed after him with smiles on their faces. They passed through the courtyard into the grand entrance of the castle. "This way," Shining said as he walked through the halls. Night and Cora followed close behind. They approached a large set of double doors and Shining stopped. "Beyond these doors is the throne room." Night and Cora smiled as they began to walk to the doors before Shining held a hoof up. "One thing before I let you in." They looked at each other before looking at Shining, who removed his helmet again and smiled at them. "If I know Princess Celestia, she'll be very pleased that you two refused to leave each other's side. If there's one thing she values more than anything, it's friendship. She sent my sister to Ponyville to study that very thing."

"Your sister?" Night asked. "You mean, Twilight Sparkle?"

"You better get in there," he said with a warm smile. "And next time you see Twilight, tell her I said 'hi'."

Night and Cora smiled at each other before they walked into the doors, which were opened by unicorn magic coming from two guards within the room. Inside, colorful lights from stained-glass windows flooded the room. Each window was decorated with an image of the history of Equestria. Images of strange creatures playing with pony puppets, or giant centaurs dominating the land.

"Ynysu!" Cora stated as she admired the artistic beauty of the room.

"Amazing, indeed!" Night agreed.

At the end of the room stood a grand throne. Atop the throne sat a regal white mare with a horn behind her golden crown and a set of wings splayed open. A purple, diamond-shaped gem sat on the front of the crown behind her unicorn horn. Her technicolored mane and tail flowed behind her as if carried by water in the wind. She finished writing in a scroll before rolling it up and making it vanish with her magic before smiling at the two guests entering the room.

"You must be Night Wing and Cora," she said with a warm smile. Both Night and Cora bowed low to the point their noses touched the floor. Celestia stood up and walked to them. "Twilight mentioned you in her letters." Night looked up.

"Your majesty, it is an honor to make your acquaintance." Night said with a smile.

"Qurxinu di Equestria," Celestia replied. Both Night and Cora blinked.

"You know Arish?!" Cora asked.

"A little bit," Celestia smiled. "After all, I am the Princess of Equestria. It is my responsibility to know as much as I need to greet dignitaries of other nations."

"Vex'gnai xiar!" Cora exclaimed with a smile. The sound of a whip cracking in the air made Cora yelp and leap into the air before she rubbed her tush with a glare toward Night. Night watched Cora with a furrowed brow as her tail swished back and forth.

"Qu ixeba ngu blomxuzaz bluzumxu!" Night stated sharply.

"It's quite alright, Night," Celestia giggled.

"But, Your Highness, her language is unacceptable, especially in the presence of royalty," Night protested. Celestia held up a hoof with closed eyes and a warm smile.

"It's all right," Celestia assured. Night blushed as she bowed her head. Celestia smiled at the two as Cora softly landed while rubbing her red tush. "I've arranged for tea in the west wing," Celestia said warmly as she began walking. "Please join me. You can tell me about the nature of your visit on the way. What brought you to Equestria?"

"We heard about your Summer Sun Celebration," Night began as she followed Celestia.

"So the president wanted somepony to come learn about it," Cora added as she walked alongside Night. The two continued back and forth talking about what brought them to Ponyville as they followed Celestia, who listened attentively. As they finished their story, they entered a large room brightly lit by the sun bleeding through the stained-glass windows. At the center of the room stood a round table with four chairs around it. Atop the table sat a full kettle of tea with four cups at each chair.

"That sounds like quite the introduction to our country," Celestia observed with a warm smile as she offered a chair to each of her guests. "Please, have a seat." The two took their offered seats with a smile.

"Who's the fourth seat for?" Cora asked as she sat down.

"My sister, Luna will be joining us in a minute," Celestia answered as she took her seat. "I must say, I am intrigued about how you two met. To find a griffon egg out on your humble island. That's very unusual." Celestia took the third seat and began to pour the tea with her golden magic. "Good thing Night Wing found you."

"What are griffons like in Equestria?" Cora excitedly asked.

"Well, apart from you, I haven't met a griffon in many moons," Celestia explained. "back then, I knew griffons to be quite the friendly race. They had quite a respectable leader." Cora smiled at the explanation. "But, that was many moons ago. Things might've changed since then." The smile faded from Cora's face.

"Maybe we can to the griffon homeland later?" Night suggested with a warm smile. Cora's wings opened as a smile formed on her face again. Night smiled at Celestia. "Where do griffons live in Equestria?"

"They reside in Griffonstone," a voice answered from the door. They all looked to find a blue alicorn walking in with a bit of a tired look on her face. Night smiled at the second alicorn she saw in Ponyville. Princess Luna's looked slightly taller than before and her mane stretched beyond her shoulders now.

"Welcome, little sister," Celestia smiled warmly.

"Morning, big sister," Luna replied with a yawn.

"Please, join us," Celestia offered the fourth chair as she poured a cup for the younger alicorn. Luna sat on the empty chair and took a sip from her cup.

"As I said, griffons reside in Griffonstone," Luna explained. "But, if you're looking for a warm welcome, I would expect no such thing."

"Why?" Night asked as Cora looked concerned.

"Ever since I was freed from," Luna paused to shutter, "... Being Nightmare Moon." She took a breath. "I've been in charge of maintaining all dreams in Equestria. To ensure peaceful nights."

"What does that have to do with griffons?" Cora asked.

"The dreams of griffons are still under my domain," Luna answered. "All they dream about is gold. And they don't like sharing."

"That doesn't mean anything," Cora countered. "Just because they have greedy dreams, that doesn't mean they're evil or anything like that."

"It's good to have hope," Celestia piped up. "Just be cautious."

"I need to at least try," Cora stated firmly.

"We'll worry about meeting griffons later, Cora," Night interjected as she rubbed a hoof along her friend's shoulder.

"As long as you two remain together, there is very little you can't overcome," Celestia smiled.

"So, you're a Muneris Pony," Luna observed. "You even lack a cutie mark." Night glanced at her blank flank before looking back at the princess of the night.

"Legend has it that long ago, a group of pegasi sought power," Celestia began, gaining Night's full attention. "So, they made a deal with an ancient spirit. They would gain magic for a price."

"I'm familiar with the legend," Night interjected. Celestia and Luna watched Night as she scratched her chin with a hoof. "It's unclear what the price was. That knowledge has been lost for thousands of moons."

"It's reasonable to assume that the price was your cutie marks," Celestia suggested.

"But, it's just an old mare's tale," Night countered. "A bedtime story for little foals. It doesn't mean anything."

"Why so quick to brush it off, Night Wing?" Luna asked.

"We've always been without cutie marks," Night answered. "There are no records of any Muneris having ever had a cutie mark. Ever."

"For a thousand years," Celestia piped up, "the truth of when I was forced to banish my little sister to the moon was only remembered as a legend." Celestia sighed as Luna hung her head in shame.

"I will never forgive myself for what I did," Luna mumbled under her breath. Celestia rubbed Luna's back with a hoof.

"My point is, there are many truths that have been forgotten to time," Celestia explained. "Spirits of chaos, ancient empires, evil beings." Night watched Celestia intently. "Even I have forgotten numerous things."

"That's kinda hard to believe," Cora piped up with a raised brow.

"Cora, zorumxu," Night stated firmly.

"I'm just pointing out the obvious," Cora countered. "The leader of all of Equestria, who's over a thousand years old -" another whip-cracking sound makes Cora yelp.

"It's fine, Night," Celestia stated. "You would think that an alicorn's knowledge is everlasting, but even we have forgotten many things over the years." Night looked at Celestia as Cora glared at Night while tending to her red tush. "And it's sad to know that many more things will be forgotten over time. I fear the day may come that my subjects may be separated by fear and myths of war and tragedy." Celestia let out a sorrowful sigh. Night and Cora watched the regal alicorn with some concern. After a moment of silence, Celestia looked up with a warm smile. "But, we need not concern ourselves with matters such as this. Perhaps, here in Equestria, you may find the answers to this mystery."

"Wait," Cora interjected. "If the answers are here in Equestria, how come you don't know them?"

"Muneris ponies are not native to Equestria," Luna answered. "At least, not since before my sister and I became alicorns. We have had no reason to seek answers to the Muneris' past."

"It'd be worth finding answers while we learn about your country," Night observed with a smile.

"Why don't we look up the history of the whole world while we're at it?" Cora sighed. "Seriously, we came here to learn about Equestria, where the griffons live, and now we're gonna try to learn about your history too?"

"Why not, Cora?" Night excitedly asked. "Even if we don't find all the answers, it'll be a wonderful experience for both of us!"

Cora rolled her eyes before letting out a chuckle. "Well, I guess it won't be so bad as long as I'm with you!" Cora pulled Night into a hug and ruffled her mane in a noogie. Night laughed in protest.

"Cora, xuyzu!" Night protested.

"Make me stop!" Cora chuckled as she continued.

"I'll whip your tush again!" Night stated through her fits of laughter. That got Cora to let her go. Celestia giggled.

"Reminds me of when we were fillies," Celestia smiled at Luna, who only blushed at the thought. Celestia giggled before smiling at Night and Cora. "It has been an honor meeting you two."

"We done already?" Cora asked.

"I do have some duties to tend to before I turn things over to my sister for the night," Celestia explained. "I'd be happy to make arrangements to take you back to Ponyville."

"That would be much appreciated, Your Highness," Night bowed her head. Celestia warmly smiled.

"In that case, follow me," Celestia and Luna stood up. Night and Cora followed suit.

"I'll prepare myself for the night," Luna stated before turning to the door.

"Be well, sister," Celestia chimed at the younger alicorn before planting a tender kiss on her forehead. Luna blushed as she turned away with a huff.

"Not in front of our guests," Luna muttered under her breath as she walked away. Celestia smiled at Night and Cora.

"This way, please," Celestia guided them through the halls out to the castle courtyard where Shining Armor stood at the ready by a large carriage. Night and Cora admired the expensive, golden craft of it. The purple cushions inside shined against the glair of the sun. Diomands glistened at every corner.

"Everything is ready for the journey, Your Highness," Shining chimed.

"Thank you, Shining Armor," Celestia beamed at the captain of the guard before smiling at Night and Cora. "This will take you straight to the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville."

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble, Your Highness," Night politely protested.

"Are you kidding?!" Cora countered as she darted around the carriage to get a closer view of every corner. "This thing is vex'gnai epic!"

"Cora!!" Night barked as Celestia giggled.

"It's no trouble, honestly." Celestia warmly said. Night looked at the princess and bowed respectfully.

"Forgive my outburst, Your Highness," Night stated softly.

"Night," Celestia began as she placed a hoof on Night's shoulder, getting the young mare to look up at her. Celestia only smiled warmly at her. "I'm not so easily offended by words, even if they're in another language. All I ask is that you hold onto your friendship." Night inclined her head with a soft smile.

"I will," Night affirmed.

"As if that's a tall order!" Cora cheered as she pulled Night into a tight hug. "You'd have to use some kinda curse to tear us apart!" Cora proceeded to give Night a noogie. "Right, Night?!"

"Cora!" Night protested through a fit of laughter. Celestia giggled.

"I look forward to the next time you visit," Celestia chimed. Both Night and Cora stopped the struggle and bowed respectfully at the alicorn.

"It's our pleasure, Your Highness," Night stated.

"Until we meet again," Celestia beamed as she gestured to the carriage. Shining Armor opened the door with his magic. Night and Cora stepped inside and as soon as Shining closed the door, it took off toward Ponyville.

The return flight to Ponyville was considerably faster than their flight to Canterlot. Perhaps the tea gave them plenty of energy for the trip. They landed just outside the Golden Oak Library and the door opened for them. Night exited the carriage as Cora followed behind her. The carriage took off as soon as they were clear and they turned to the library just as the door slammed open with a frazzled-looking Twilight staring at them with wide eyes before the door slammed back in her face.

"Ow!"

Night and Cora flinched at the sight.

"How'd it go?!" Twilight frantically asked as she opened the door. A large red lump now sat on her forehead.

"Twilight, you got a lump on your head," Cora pointed out. "Oh, and that Shining Armor guy says 'hi'."

"Did she like you?!" Twilight continued as if nothing was said. "Did you make a good impression?! Is she going to throw you in the dungeon before she comes to take me back to magic kindergarten?!"

"Twilight! Calm down!" Spike's voice called as he walked around her. "Sorry about that. She's been like this ever since you left."

"What's her problem?" Cora asked as she raised a brow at the lavender unicorn.

"Oh, she tends to freak out like this when it comes to matters involving the princess," Spike explained. "I try to keep her calm, but sometimes I don't know."

"You really care about the princess, don't you?" Night asked as she stepped forward with a smile.

"Seriously?!" Twilight asked with a stomp of her hoof. "She's only my teacher! My mentor! The one mare who taught me everything I know about magic! The ruler of all of Equestria!"

"This one's a few feathers short of a wing," Cora whispered into Night's ear, earning a very sharp glare from the Muneris. Cora raised her claws as if to say "Forget I said anything" as she took a few steps back.

"Hey!" a familiar voice called from behind. Night and Cora looked to see Blazing trotting up with a smile. "I heard you two got invited to the castle. That must've been exciting!"

"I'll say!" Cora agreed. "We're gonna have to go back there sometime to explore Canterlot more!" Blazing chuckled.

"Yeah, that city is quite the sight, isn't it?" Blazing observed as he looked up at the structure on the side of the mountain to the north.

"Have you been there?" Night asked.

"Yeah, I lived there for a while," Blazing answered. "My mother lives there now."

"You should take us to meet her sometime," Night suggested.

"I'm sure she'd love that," Blazing smiled. "She loves meeting new ponies, or creatures."

"Woah, slow down!" Cora interjected. "We've already got enough on our plate."

"We can manage, Cora," Night smiled.

"Making big plans?" Blazing asked.

"Only learning the entire history of the whole world," Cora joked.

"Well, we came to learn about Equestria," Night began, "we'd like to go to Griffonstone, and Celestia suggested we could learn about Muneris history here."

"Wow!" Blazing exclaimed. "That is a tall order!" Blazing chuckled. "Well, I'm sure there is no shortage of ponies who'd be willing to help you out on your journey."

"And we won't turn anypony down," Night smiled.

The entire time the three talked with each other, none of them noticed that Twilight was still rambling on about Princess Celestia and all the crazy possibilities that could happen. Blazing looked at Twilight with a smirk.

"Hey! Twilight!" Blazing called out. "Take a chill pill and read a book! Everything's fine!"

Twilight blinked at the sound of Blazing's voice before she tucked in her chin with a blush. "Sorry."

Chapter III: Cold Stone

"Wow!" Cora exclaimed as she and Night Wing walked out of Sugar Cube Corner. "That Gilda was quite the grouch."

"Based on what I've heard," Night began, "Gilda was more of an isolated incident." The two walked down the street side-by-side. "Blazing and Zuro say they've met a few griffons over the years and they all seem to be pretty nice."

"Maybe we should find out for ourselves?" Cora suggested.

"You mean, you wanna go to Griffonstone, huh?" Night asked with a smile.

"Why the jura not?" Cora smiled. Night shot her a glare before Cora raised her claws in defense. "Sorry, I got carried away." Night smiled at her friend.

"Alright, I'll begin making plans for the trip," Night declared, putting a large smile on the griffon's beak.

"Yrlokjd!" Cora chirped. Night giggled as she began trotting off toward the house.

Both Blazing Feathers and Zuro pitched in to offer Night and Cora a place to live while they stayed in Equestria. Blazing had quite a large sum of savings over his years of service to Princess Celestia and Zuro inherited a fortune from his father. However, that is all the information Night or Cora could get out of the two pegasi. Zuro was very cryptic about his origins, and Blazing was sworn to secrecy. Because of their financial freedoms, both Blazing and Zuro had their own houses in Ponyville. Outwardly, both houses looked like any other house in the humble town. However, one of them had a unique decore within.

"I still say we should've stayed at Zuro's house," Cora stated as she and Night walked up to Blazing's house. "His place is xiar!"

"I don't understand how you find all that black and green appealing," Night countered as she approached the door.

"Talking about our best friend, Zuro?" a familiar voice called out. Night and Cora looked up to find Blazing trotting up with a smile. "His house is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"You know it!" Cora chirped as she smiled at Blazing.

"Oh please, Night interjected as Blazing opened the door. "That black and green scheme is just... weird."

"It used to be only his bedroom that was decorated like that," Blazing began as he let the girls in before him. "He said it reminded him of home."

"Is he one of those changelings I've heard about?" Night queried. She noted a faint twitch in Blazing's eye.

"Changelings?" Cora asked.

"A race of equines," Blazing began, "Well, not quite. They have very similar features to equines only, they appear more buglike."

"Sounds cool," Cora smiled.

"Except, they change their appearance," Night interjected. "They can take on any form they choose at will. It makes them ideal spies and criminals."

"A bit harsh," Blazing stated.

"I'm just stating facts," Night countered. "Shapeshifting is a power that can be too easily abused."

"You speak as if you've had experience," Blazing observed. Night opened her mouth to speak before Blazing piped up. "No need to explain. I understand the concern. But, any power can be abused. I've seen it a thousand times. From something as simple as a manager at a store to as high as royalty."

"True, but shapeshifters can be anyone," Night countered as she walked to the spare room. "If there's even the slightest hint of someone being different, that could easily be a sign of an imposter."

"Lighten up, Night," Cora interjected. Night shot Cora a side-eye as she rounded a corner. When Night was out of sight, Blazing stepped closer to Cora.

"Did something happen to her?" he whispered. Cora only looked at him with a furrowed brow before following Night around the corner. "Sorry I asked," Blazing said as he went to the kitchen.

Inside the guest room, Night stared out the window staring at nothing as Cora stepped up behind her friend. "You okay?" Cora asked softly.

"I'm fine," Night answered without hesitation. Cora rubbed her claw on Night's back.

"You know you can-"

"Cora," Night interjected sharply. After a minute of silence, Night looked at Cora. "I appreciate your concern. But, don't push it." Cora only pulled the mare into a hug.

"You know I want nothing more than for you to be happy," Cora said softly. "I don't care how bad things were or will be, I'll always be there for you." Night leaned into her friend's warm embrace. After a minute, Night looked up with a smile.

"Now, I promised you a trip to Griffonstone," Night said, which put a big smile on the griffon's beak. "Then, go pack a lunch for us so we don't have to spend more than we have to." Cora stood tall and saluted.

"Yes ma'am!" Cora stated firmly, earning a giggle from the mare before Cora rushed out.

Cora found Blazing in the kitchen making himself a sandwich. "So, what's the plan?" Blazing asked as Cora started rummaging through the cabinets.

"We're going to Griffonstone!" Cora chirped. Blazing looked at her.

"Are you sure about that?" Blazing asked. "Griffonstone is in pretty bad shape and the griffons there aren't much better." Cora looked at him after gathering some supplies to make a few meals. Blazing blinked. "Oh, right. You haven't been to Griffonstone."

"You have?" Cora countered.

"I have," Blazing inclined his head. "I was excited the first time because I heard how proud and majestic griffons are."

"What was it like?" Cora excitedly asked.

"I think you should find out for yourself," Blazing answered as he took his humble meal out of the kitchen while munching on it. Cora watched him leave and blinked a few times.

"Could griffons really be as bad as Gilda?" Cora asked herself. She looked at the supplies she gathered. "Sure they can't all be that bad, right?"

Cora eventually broke from her trans and began making a few meals for a trip. After everything was bagged individually, she carried her bounty back to the guest room where she lay them on the bed before going to grab their travel bag.

"Okay, I got the food ready," Cora explained as she pulled out the bag.

"And thank you Twilight for this transcript," Night replied as she looked over a sheet of paper in her hoof. "Looks like there's a train headed toward Griffonstone tomorrow morning." Cora smiled at the news.

"Well, I packed enough for a whole day," Cora exclaimed. Night smiled at Cora as she set the sheet down.

The next day, the train came to a halt and the doors slid open. Outside of a few griffons, Night and Cora were the only ones to exit the train. The sight that greeted them took them both by surprise. Everything within the city, if you could call it a city, was in a state of disrepair and crumbling decay. Even the train station was falling apart. All the houses and buildings had chunks missing everywhere. Any place that could be a store was closed down. All the griffons simply brushed past everyone else without a care.

Night and Cora looked around the place with wide eyes. They looked at each other in disbelief.

"Well," Night began, "if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that first impressions are almost always wrong." Cora inclined her head.

"Yeah," Cora said. "I want to see everything we can here."

With that, Night and Cora began walking through the streets. The interior of the city was in no better condition than the outskirts. Everything was falling apart, even the statues that appeared to be the most important. The griffons within were no better either. Most of the citizens wore a frown or a scowl.

"Excuse me," Cora called out to a griffon, who seemingly took no notice of her approach. Cora narrowed her brows. "Could you tell me how this city got so bad?" The griffon looked up.

"You got any bits?" he replied.

"For what?" Cora countered.

"No bits, no story," the griffon replied as he looked away while resting his cheek on his claw. Cora looked at Night.

"Let's try someone else," Night suggested.

"But," Cora began to protest.

"If all griffons are gonna ask for bits for everything," Night interjected, "and I suspect they will, we won't be able to get much out of them. We can't give bits away for every little thing."

"We can always get more bits later," Cora continued to protest.

"Cora, I know you want to learn what you can about this place," Night countered, "but, we have to play it smart, not fast." Cora pouted at being shut down. "Come on. This place has to have someone willing to talk, or even a library or something."

"Okay," Cora sighed as she hung her head before she looked at the griffon. "Hey, where's the library?" He held out a claw.

"If you wanna know, you gotta cough up the bits," he snarled. Cora growled and took a step forward before Night shoved her down the road.

"Cora!" Night huffed. "We're not gonna get into it here!"

It took a little bit of an effort, but Cora did calm down enough to walk beside her friend. As they walked down the road, they looked left and right to see the same thing at every corner. Closed stores, crumbling buildings, and grumpy griffons. Any time they asked a question, the only response was "you got bits?"

They trekked the streets for what felt like hours before a voice that sounded more friendly than any other they heard all day called out "Excuse me, do you need help?" Night and Cora looked back to find a female griffon with a golden coat and a friendly smile.

"You're offering to help?" Cora asked with a raised brow. "How much you askin'?"

"Cora!" Night huffed.

"Oh no, it's okay," the griffon countered with a soft chuckle. "I understand your concerns. Not all us griffons are as cold-shouldered." She raised a claw to her chest. "I'm Goldie."

"High, Goldie," Night offered with a smile. "I'm Night Wing and this is my friend Cora."

"Nice to meet you," Goldie inclined her head. "I haven't seen you before," she observed as she looked at Cora.

"I'm not from Griffonstone," Cora replied.

"Oh, really?" Goldie replied.

"I found her egg as a filly," Night explained.

"You were lost as an egg?" Goldie queried. "Oh, my stars! That's awful! Griffons may be harsh, but they'd still never abandon their eggs." She scratched her chin. Cora perked up at this before Goldie glanced at Night. "Is something wrong with you, Night? You have no cutie mark." Goldie pointed at Night's flank.

"I'm not from Equestria," Night explained. Night and Cora explained their backstory of where Muneris come from and where Night found Cora's egg. They finished with the reason why they were in Griffonstone.

"Oh my!" Goldie exclaimed. "You're lucky to be alive, Cora. Next to bits, or anything gold, griffon eggs are very precious to us. Especially when we don't let greed rule our lives."

"I imagine the golden shells have something to do with it," Cora observed.

"Actually, that's not too far from the truth," Goldie interjected. "Because griffon eggs are gold, there are those who often try to steal them for a quick profit."

"Do griffons try selling them off?" Cora asked.

"Cora, she did say that griffon eggs are precious to them," Night countered. "I highly doubt they'd sell them off."

"Well, there are rare occasions," Goldie piped up. "Rare, but not unheard of. You'd have to find a griffon whose soul interest is bits." Goldie glanced at another griffon passing by before looking at Cora. "The only reason I can think of for you to have been so far from griffons is because you were either stolen or sold." Cora snorted.

"I wasn't expecting to find family here, but I never thought I'd hear something like that," Cora huffed.

"Cora, don't be like that," Night said softly as she rubbed her hoof on Cora's back. "Besides, if something like that didn't happen, I never would've found you."

"Don't misread me, Night," Cora countered. "I'm not upset about that part of it at all. I'm glad you found me back then, but it's still not easy hearing that my parents might've sold me as an egg for a few bits."

"A griffon egg's worth at least a hundred bits!" a griffon carelessly shouted out as he passed. Goldie glared at the passing griffon as Night and Cora scoffed.

"I'm sorry about that," Goldie softly said.

"Never mind that," Cora waved a claw before looking at Night. "I guess we know why everything looks like dzod."

"Cora -" Night began with a glare.

"Oh, spare me the lecture," Cora huffed as she turned away.

"Dzod?" Goldie asked with a raised brow.

"I am not translating that," Night exclaimed sharply.

"Oh," Goldie said as she realized the intent behind the word. "Okay." Cora planted her rump on the ground against a dead tree.

"So, Goldie," Night piped up. "You're definitely not like the other griffons around here. Why are you here? If you don't mind my asking."

"Not at all," Goldie smiled. "I'm here visiting family. I live in Fillydephia. I needed to get away from the negativity, so I left as soon as I was old enough. But, my parents never wanted to leave, so I drop by every so often to visit them. They may be grouchy, but they're good griffons."

"Well, that makes sense," Night observed. "And, I've heard griffons were proud creatures. Was that ever true?"

"Once upon a time," Goldie sighed. "Long ago, there was Kind Grover. He led griffons into an age of pride with the Idol of Boreas. That idol became the source of our pride and majesty. But, then it was stolen from King Guto by a monster called, Arimaspi. Ever since then, we've lost all sense of our pride. Most griffons are cold and greedy anymore."

"I see," Night exclaimed as she looked around. The sound of a train whistle filled the air.

"Well, unless you intend on flying home or staying for a week, I suggest you catch the train," Goldie said. "The train only comes to Griffonstone twice a day and only one day a week."

"That's a very odd schedule," Cora piped up.

"A commune to Griffonstone is in small demand," Goldie replied.

"So, if we don't take the train now, we have to wait a week or fly all the way back to Ponyville?" Night asked.

"If you miss the train, there's a town west of here," Goldie explained. "Thirty minutes as the crow flies."

"Well, then we better scat," Cora said as she stood up. "I've had enough of this place."

"Are you sure, Cora?" Night asked.

"I'm sure," Cora replied as she began walking back toward the station. "Thanks for the info, Goldie. I do hope we meet again someday."

"It was my pleasure," Goldie smiled at Night. "At least you made one friend in Griffonstone."

"And that's always a plus in my book," Night smiled. "Thank you for talking with us."

"Hurry up before you miss the train," Goldie urged. Night turned to follow Cora.

Night and Cora did everything they could to avoid the other griffons as they made their way to the station. As they arrived, the whistle blew again, signaling the train's imminent departure. They quickly boarded the train just in time for the doors to close behind them and the train began moving.

Night and Cora found an empty seat and sat next to each other. Both remained silent for a few minutes before Night looked at Cora. "You okay, Cora?" Night softly asked.

"I'll be fine," Cora answered. "It was hard hearing all that stuff, but I'll be fine." Night pulled Cora into a warm hug.

"I don't know how I'd react to hearing something like that," Night observed as Cora leaned into her embrace. They remained in each other's embrace for a few minutes before Cora lifted her head to smile at Night.

"Thank you for being there for me," Cora offered with a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"And I always will be," Night replied as she made a rag appear to wipe away the tear.

The train made several stops along the way, making the trip feel longer than it was. Earth Ponies, pegasi, and unicorns boarded and departed the train at every stop. All the while, neither Night nor Cora said a word. Finally, the train arrived at Ponyville, where Night and Cora departed. They were warmly greeted by the ponies as they left the station. "Welcome back," or "I hope you had a nice trip," or even "You guys back so soon?"

"Hey guys," Zuro called out. Night and Cora looked up at him. "I heard you two took a trip to Griffonstone. Was it nice?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Cora huffed as she passed him.

"That bad, huh?" Zuro asked Night.

"It was, erm, hard," Night explained.

"Say no more," Zuro said as he raised a hoof. "I've heard enough about Griffonstone to know how much of a ditch they're in." He looked at Cora who kept watching anything else going on around them. "Hey, I'm sure things'll get better before too long." That got Cora to glance at him. "No guarantees, but nothing's truly set in stone. I've heard countless stories of nations starting one way before doing a full one-eighty within a single generation. Who knows? Griffonstone could become the best place to live in all of Equestria someday."

"After what I just witnessed, I find that hard to believe," Cora retorted.

"Cora, you know Muneris history isn't the prettiest," Night interjected. "There is evidence to suggest Muneris were actually quite cruel almost a millennia ago."

"Really?" Zuro asked.

"Some historians believe it had something to do with a surge of dark magical energy at the time," Night continued. "Come to think of it, that is roughly around the time Nightmare Moon appeared."

"Interesting," Zuro observed as he scratched his chin. "Maybe Muneris ponies have some kind of absorbing ability? It could explain that dark age of your history."

"I have heard of some Muneris with direct absorbing abilities," Night explained. "But, I'm not sure about it being something really common or passive."

"I never thought griffons could be a bunch of greedy grumps, Night," Cora piped up. "Just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it's not real." Cora turned to face them. "Like that Sinerum who tried to fuse with a Muneris to gain power."

"Now, that is a pony tale," Night rolled her eyes as Zuro perked up.

"Sinerum?" Zuro queried.

"A scary story of an equine similar to Muneris," Night began, "only these guys are more like what you'd call earth ponies. They have no horns, wings, or cutie marks."

"Do they have the gems on their foreheads too?" Zuro asked.

"Hold on," Cora piped up, "If you already knew about Muneris, why don't you know about the Sinerum?"

"Because they're not real, Cora," Night interjected. "It's just a story.

"Now, wait a minute," Zuro stepped forward. "Why wouldn't they exist? Are you saying that there can't possibly be others like you that don't have wings?" Night rolled her eyes.

"Of course they do," a familiar female voice caught their attention. They all looked up to see Twilight trotting up with a saddlebag full of books. "Muneris are magical pegasi. There's more information about them than the others because their home is closest to Equestria."

"You mean, you actually know about other races like the Muneris?" Cora asked. Twilight pulled out a book about world history.

"This book has information on all the known races of the world, both factual and myth," Twilight beamed as she gleefully explained. "Did you know there are more than just three kinds of equines?!"

"Well, duh," Cora rolled her eyes. "Night's standing right here, ya know?"

"I mean outside of earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, and Muneris," Twilight countered. "Far away, atop Mount Aris, once stood the great kingdom, Hippogriffia! Home of the Hippogriffs! A race of creatures that are half pony and half eagle!"

"Sounds fasc-" Cora sarcastically began before she stopped herself. "Actually, that sounds kinda cool!" Night smiled at the new-found spark in Cora's face.

"Oh, I'd be happy to share everything I know with you!" Twilight beamed at Cora.

"Sounds like you're in for a long night, Night," Zuro chuckled as Cora followed Twilight with a bounce in her step.

"As long as it helps get her mind off Griffonstone, I'm all for it," Night observed as she followed Twilight and Cora.

~~)oOo(~~

Back in Griffonstone, just finished dinner with her parents. Goldie lounged in her seat rubbing her belly. The food in Griffonstone was not nearly as good as the meals she enjoyed in Fillydelphia, but she did not have the heart to reject her mother's cooking.

"That was good," Goldie fibbed. "As always, mom."

"Glad you liked it, Goldie," Goldie's mother sarcastically replied as she tossed a dirty plate into the broken-down sink. Goldie watched her mother with a false smile. The old griffon's sarcastic response made her wonder if she knew Goldie did not care for her cooking, but she never pressed the issue.

"Who cares?" Goldie's father scoffed as he turned a page of the newspaper he held in his claws. "Everyone knows the food here sucks." a loud gong filled the air, followed by a clear "Ow!" from the old male. "Except for yours, dear," he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. She nodded with a "humph" as she walked away with the pan in her claw.

Goldie fought the urge to laugh as she watched her grumpy parents with a smile. She stretched out as she stood up. "Well, I better get going," Goldie said.

"Is it that time already?" the mother carelessly queried. "It's not like we don't want you to stay here longer."

"Or, you could just stay in Equestria," the father groaned. "It's obvious you like it better over there."

Goldie walked up and embraced her father tightly. "I may love it in Equestria, but you're my parents. I could never just ignore you." Both of the older griffons smiled at their daughter when they thought no one was looking. They would never admit it, but they loved it when Goldie came to visit them every month.

"You could at least bring us some grand-griffons next time you come over," her mother groaned as she shook the smile off her face. "Maybe they'll stick around longer."

"Maybe someday, Mom," Goldie replied as she went to hug her mother too. "I'll be back again soon," Goldie declared as she turned to the door, which was hanging by a single hinge.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" Goldie called out as she left the crumbling house. Goldie had no intention of staying in Griffonstone for a whole week. Whenever she came to visit her family, she always made plans to take the train to town and spend a bit of time with her parents before flying off to the closest town with more available trains.

Goldie kicked off the ground and flew into the air. The cool air blew passed her feathers as she flew towards the sunset. She few for several long minutes before she could see the next town in the distance. She began to descend towards the town before something caught her attention.

"Help!"

Goldie stopped mid-flight to look around the immediate area. Soon enough, she spotted a white earth pony stallion with black hair waving his forehooves in the air. She dove down and landed in front of him with a thud.

"What's wrong?!" Goldie asked as she glanced left and right. "Are you okay?" She blinked when she noticed a red gem sparkle through his mane as he grinned at her.

"I am now," he said with a menacing voice as he grabbed her head in his forehooves and pulled her in. His gem glowed bright red as it came into contact with her forehead. Goldie's eyes shot open wide as she tried to scream out, only no sound escaped her beak.

The gem was as cold as ice to the touch. She tried to resist, but her efforts were in vain. With every passing second, her strength faded. Her claws trembled and weakened before falling to the ground as her whole body slowly followed suit. Soon enough, her body fell to the ground with a heavy thud. It was only a few seconds but, to her, it felt like an eternity.

Goldie lay on the ground panting in sheer exhaustion as she watched the earth pony stand tall. He took in a deep breath through his nose before letting out a heavy sigh through his smiling lips. "Finally!" he declared. "The speed of a griffon is mine!"

"Wha-" Goldie huffed. "What did you do to me?" She could barely get the words out. The stallion glanced at her with a snarl.

"Oh yeah," he sighed. "I already forgot you were here." He brushed some dust off his shoulder with a hoof before cracking a half-smile at her. "Don't worry. You'll live." He turned his back to her. "You might even recover half your strength by the time the sun rises tomorrow. That is if the animals don't get you first!" Goldie noticed the stallion had no cutie mark on his flank just before a flash of green flames engulfed his body. In a second, a white griffon stood in his place. "The shapeshifting power of a changeling with the speed of a griffon! Soon, it'll all be mine!" He stretched his open wide as he crouched to the ground. "Not even all the alicorns in Equestria!" He kicked off the ground to take flight, kicking chunks of dirt out of the ground after him.

Goldie lay there for several long minutes with no strength. Finally, she felt her limbs twitch. She took in a breath and used everything she could to push herself off the ground. It felt like she was fighting against the tallest mountain in the world. She managed to get onto her feet and started walking. Her legs trembled with every step. Her heart pounded in her chest. Despite the fear coursing through her body, she could feel her strength slowly return with every step. If only she could fly, but her wings refused to move from her sides. They could not even stay folded against her body. They just dragged along the dirt at her sides.

Goldie would have to try to fly later. Right now, she had one mission that was more important than anything else in the world. She had to get to town before sunset.

Author's Note

Sorry for the lack of Gilda or Gaby in this chapter. I figured this time frame was fresh after the incident with Gilda in Ponyville, so she'd be out and about, blowing off steam. As for Gaby, I wanted to avoid changing events that made her want to go to Ponyville in the first place. This may be an Alt. Universe, but I still want to keep as close to canon events as possible.

Chapter IV: Evil Enchantress?

The train screeched to a halt at the Ponyville station and the doors slid open. Traffic in and out of the train was small for this stop. Night and Cora seemed to be the only ones departing from the train at the moment. Both the Muneris and the griffon wore concerned looks on their faces as they stepped off the train.

"What do you think happened to Goldie?" Cora asked.

"I don't know," Night answered as she scratched the back of her head with her forehoof.

They decided to spend a few days in Fillydelphia after meeting Goldie in Griffonstone. After a day, they found out Goldie was in the hospital there. Goldie was completely drained and suffered mild amnesia. The only thing Goldie could remember was leaving Griffonstone before blacking out. The doctors said she managed to make it to the train station in the area and got off in Fillydelphia, where she passed out.

"I highly doubt griffons just pass out for no good reason," Cora observed as she scratched the chin of her beak with a claw. "They'd be too stubborn for that."

"They don't," a male voice caught their attention. They looked up to see Blazing walking up to them.

"Blazing?" Night asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I paid attention to the station schedule, and concluded you two would be returning from Fillydelphia today," Blasing explained. "What's this about a griffon passing out?"

"Well, we met a griffon in Griffonstone named Goldie," Night explained.

"We ended up in the hospital and found out she was checked in there," Cora added.

"You two okay?" Blazing asked as he checked the two girls out with a concerned look on his face.

"We're fine," Night assured. "We witnessed a bit of an accident and helped fly the ponies involved to the hospital."

"Okay, good," Blazing sighed before looking the girls in the eyes. "But, what about your friend?"

"We don't know," Night answered. "She was all drained and couldn't remember what happened. Doctors say she'll be okay."

"The doctors of Fillydelphia are some of the best out there," Blazing explained. "They even know quite a bit about griffon anatomy. But, if you'd like, I could go check on her."

"That's much appreciated, but we know she's in good hooves," Night replied.

"Well, if you're sure," Blazing began. "Let me treat you to lunch."

"Sounds great!" Cora chirped. "I'm starved!"

"Might help ease our minds to have a nice meal," Night added with a smile.

The trio left the station into town, where they noticed something odd. The streets were all empty. The air was quiet and still. No foals laughing. No ponies chatting. Nothing.

"Um, what's going on?" Night asked as she looked around.

"Some kinda Equestrian holiday?" Cora added.

"Not that I'm aware of," Blazing answered as he looked around before blinking. "Wait, ponies in Ponyville only clear the streets for one reason outside of holidays." He looked around the streets before his eyes found the source of the seemingly abandoned town. "Bingo!" He ducked behind a corned as he gestured for Night and Cora to do the same. "She's here."

"Who's here?" Cora asked as she scooted close to Night protectively.

"There's a zebra who comes to town once a month," Blazing explained as he pointed to a cloaked figure wandering the streets.

"A zebra?" Night asked. "I thought they lived far from Equestria. And, aren't they peaceful and welcoming?"

"I thought so too," Blazing answered as he watched the cloaked figure. "I've been keeping an eye on this one from the shadows for a long time to find out what the deal is."

"Why don't you just go talk to him?" Cora asked sarcastically.

"Zecora's a she," Blazing corrected her. Cora blinked and took a second look at the cloaked figure just as she removed her hood. Her coat was cloud-grey and she had a two-toned grey mohawk-style mane. "And every time I try, the others always stop me," he explained as he watched Zecora digging a hoof into the street.

"Well, we're by ourselves here," Night observed. "Why don't we go see her together?" Night smiled at Blazing.

"Trust me, all eyes are glued to that zebra as we speak," Blazing answered as he looked at Night. "If we go out there right now, everypony will go into a panic."

"So, why not follow her wherever she goes when nopony's watching?" Night asked again.

"Well, she seems to live in the forest," Blazing answered as he glanced at the ground, "and I'm not too eager to just casually trot in there just to say "hello" to a zebra."

"You worked for the princess, didn't you?" Night observed.

"Yes, but I left that job to live a peaceful life," Blazing countered. "You know, settle down. Find a mare. Have a few foals."

"Noble goals, but I would love to meet a zebra, and this may be my only chance," Night stated as she started to make her way onto the streets before getting stopped by Blazing holding his foreleg in front of her.

"I'm not opposed to talking to Zecora," Blazing stated, "but, I'm still not going to let you ruin any relationships you've built in this town by causing mass hysteria."

"I appreciate you being thoughtful, Blazing," Night smiled as she moved his foreleg down with a hoof, "but, I came to Equestria to learn everything I can about all the races who live here. Zecora lives here, so I want to meet her."

"Hey, feathered ponies," Cora interjected as she pointed to the forest in the distance, "the zebra left for the forest and a filly followed her." Both Night and Blazing blinked and looked to find a butter-yellow filly with an apple-red mane tied up in a large pink bow trotting into the Everyfree Forest.

"That's Applebloom!" Blazing observed. "What's she thinking?!" Blazing started to bolt after the little filly before they noticed Twilight Sparkle and five other mares give chase after her.

"You less worried about causing a panic now?" Cora asked as she spread her wings and took off after the seven ponies into the forest. Soon after, Night and Blazing followed after Cora.

The last time Night and Cora even got this close to the Everfree Forest was the first day they arrived in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration just a little over a month before. While they did not get the chance to explore the inside of the forest then, circumstances forced their hooves this time. With a little Filly and six mares venturing into such a wild place, Night, Cora, and Blazing had to make sure the others got out alright.

Just as they entered the forest, Twilight, and her friends came rushing back with the little filly, Applebloom, on the back of an orange earth pony mare with a country hat on. Five of the six mares looked terrified while Twilight only looked a bit annoyed and concerned.

"Twilight!" Blazing called as he, Night, and Cora skitted to a halt. "What happened? Are you all okay?"

"Zecora put a curse on us, Stripes!" Rainbow Dash huffed as she hovered above the girls. Blazing glared at the technicolored pegasus.

"Don't call me "Stripes", Dash!" Blazing snarled.

"Oh, for pony's sake!" Twilight huffed. "There's no such thing as curses!" Twilight snorted.

"Twilight, darling," the white unicorn mare with a purple, stylized mane and tail piped up, "what about those things she said?"

"What did she say?" Night asked as she stepped forward. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie poked her head over Night's shoulder.

"Beware!" Pinkie said with a dramatic voice, "Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!" Cora snarled at Pinkie Pie. "She's an evil enchantress!"

"Get off Night, Pinkie Pie," Cora hissed.

"Calm down, Cora," Night said as Pinkie stepped away from her. Night glanced into the forest where the girls came from and caught sight of blue plants and hummed.

"Sounds like a warning to me," Night observed as she looked at the girls.

"Yeah!" Rainbow chirped. "Warning us to stay away so she can't curse us!"

"Again," Twilight huffed as she rolled her eyes, "she can't curse us because there's no such thing as curses."

"In any case, I'm going to go wash up," the white unicorn said as she trotted back to town. "All this running around in the forest most certainly uncouth."

Night watched the seven ponies trot back into town as Cora and Blazing stood on either side of her. Once they were all out of sight, Night looked toward the forest.

"Okay," Cora piped up, "First, I wanna know what the deal is with the name "Stipes", so give me some context." Cora looked at Blazing, who only glared into the distance.

"It's a stupid nickname Dash gave me because of my stripes," Blazing explained. Cora and Night took a second glance at Blacing to notice the orange stripes over his yellow coat. Blazing glared at Cora. "And, I'll thank you not to use that stupid name. It's bad enough that Dash never stops using it."

"No problem," Cora said as she held her claws up defensively before smirking, "Stripes."

"Cora!" Night huffed as Blazing groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"Just had to get it outa my system," Cora chuckled. "I promise, I won't use it anymore." Blazing snorted before Night turned and walked into the forest. "Hey, where ya goin'?" Cora asked as she watched Night examine the blue plants without touching them.

"Waoh!" Blazing blinked as he rushed up before Night held a hoof up to him. "Don't touch those! It's -"

"Biozim higu," Night interjected. "Muneris use them for very specific herbal remedies."

"Really?" Blazing asked with a raised brow.

"Don't bother, dude," Cora said as she walked up beside him. "It's only beneficial to Muneris."

"Interesting," Blazing observed as he glanced at the plants. "Poison Joke is not something I'd wanna swim in." He looked toward the town where the others left. "I hope they didn't get into it."

"I'm sure if anyone knows how to deal with poison joke, it's gonna be Twilight," Cora observed as she stood next to Night. Night stared into the overgrowth of the forest. "Whatcha thinkin', Night?"

"There's something about this forest," Night observed. "Almost like there's something in the air. It feels good."

"The Everfree Forest is unnatural," Blazing stated as he looked around. "Everything takes care of itself here. No pony intervention whatsoever. The clouds, the animals, everything."

"That zebra went into the forest," Cora observed. "You think she lives here?"

"I wanna say zebras live in the savanna, not the forests," Night observed, "but, I could be wrong." Night smiled at Cora. "Let's go find her."

"I'm in!" Cora chirped with a smile.

"Woah!" Blazing piped up as he stood in front of them. "I'm not opposed to going to meet Zecora, especially now that we're out of eyesight from town, but it's still the Everfree Forest. We don't know where she is in there and you could easily get lost."

"Dude, we have wings," Cora stated as she spread her wings. "If we lose our way, we can easily fly over the trees to get our bearings."

"And," Night began as she made a flat and circular object appear on her hoof. On the face of the object was a needle pointing directly toward Ponyville. "A Muneris compass. Conjurers like myself are taught very early how to conjure a compass for navigation in situations like this. They point to the closest settlement or where one can find food and drink."

"Wow!" Blazing chimed as he looked at the compass. "I wish I had something like that back in my service years." He sighed in defeat. "Alright, it's obvious I'm not talking you out of it. So, I'm coming with you. I've been meaning to meet Zecora anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Cora chirped. Night smiled as she made the compass vanish before turning into the forest.

Night, Cora, and Blazing began trotting through the forest together while taking great care to avoid the blue plants on the ground. The vines hung from the tree branches above as bushes and roots protruded from the ground. The occasional sound of animals scattering from their presence caught their attention. The small animals were nothing to worry about. It was the larger animals like manticores they needed to worry about; maybe a stray dragon lurking in a cave.

After fighting through the wiles for several minutes, the trio found a hut built into what used to be a large tree. Decorations from foreign lands covered almost every stump. Light shined through the windows, where the shadow of an equine could be seen passing back and forth.

"That must be where Zecora lives," Night observed as she stepped closer. Cora and Blazing followed the pegasus closely. Blazing could not help but take in every detail he could see before tripping over a root poking out of the ground. Cora caught him before his chin hit the dirt.

"Watch your step there, pal," Cora chuckled as she helped him back onto his hooves.

"Sorry," Blazing offered as he brushed some dust off his shoulders.

"You alright, Blaze?" Night asked as she watched him.

"Something about this place is familiar," Blazing observed as he looked around. "Almost like I've been here before."

"You haven't though, have you?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"I couldn't have," Blazing answered. "I was raised in Ponyville before moving to Canterlot with my mother and started working for the princess. I've never explored the forest before I was a full-grown stallion." Night watched Blazing as he explained. She took note of his stripes and thought about Zecora. Could he be half zebra?

Night turned to the hut and trotted up to knock on the door with her hoof. "Someone here to see me?" a deep female voice could be heard from beyond the door, "who could that possibly be?" A few seconds later, the door creaked open to show the face of a zebra looking out in curiosity.

"Hi," Night offered with a wave of her hoof and a smile on her face. "I'm Night Wing and these are my friends, Cora," Night pointed a hoof to Cora, who waved with a friendly smile, "and Blazing Feathers," Night pointed at Blazing, who watched the zebra closely.

"A pegasus, a Muneris, and a griffon?" Zecora observed as she looked at all of them with a warm smile, especially Blazing. She stepped to the side, "Please, do come on in."

Night, Cora, and Blazing walked single-file into the hut. Everything was just as decorated as the outside. In addition to all the trinkets, shelves food of bottles, vials, bowls, cups, and more lined the walls. A large cauldron sat in the middle of the room with a spot just for fires right beneath it. The hut itself felt warm and inviting. Cora felt a bit uneasy about how calm and welcoming the place was. Night smiled at all the decorations and shelves. Blazing simply took in every detail.

"It is a pleasure to have guests, you see," Cora said as she closed the door. "No pony ever comes to see me." She smiled at the trio. "Never mind about me. Would any of you like some tea?"

"Do you always speak in rhyme?" Cora asked with a bit of an annoyed look on her face.

"Don't be rude, Cora," Night huffed.

"It's alright, Miss Night Wing," Zecora interjected with a warm smile. "For my rhyme can be a strange thing." Zecora grabbed four cups from a shelf and placed a kettle over a lit candle on the counter. After getting something started, she stopped to smile at Blazing, who blinked at her.

"What are you smiling at?" Blazing asked with red cheeks.

"After so many years of nothing," Zecora began as she looked him over, "You finally return to me, Blazing." Blazing gulped as Night and Cora watched closely.

"Um, we've never met before," Blazing observed.

"Oh, but we have when you had begun," Zecora countered, "for you are my one and only son." Night, Cora, and Blazing blinked at Zecora's words.

"No!" Blazing stuttered. "My mother is Autumn Leaves! She raised me since I was a little colt!" Night and Cora looked at each other for a few seconds before looking back at Zecora and Blazing. Zecora only smiled at Blazing.

"To raise a child, the forest is not the spot," Zecora began as she examined Blazing's cutie mark; a single feather engulfed in fire. "You were adopted, were you not?"

"I -" Blazing stuttered as he watched the zebra examining him, "I was. Autumn adopted me from the Ponyville orphanage."

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Night exclaimed with a smile on her face. "A family reunion!"

"Hold on! Not so fast!" Blazing countered as he sat in place. "This isn't a family reunion! It's -"

"A reunion this need not be," Zecora piped up as she went to the kettle. "Now is the time for tea." Zecora took the kettle in her maw and poured the boiling water into the four cups before putting tea bags in each. After offering each of her guests a cup, Zecora turned to Night Wing. "It is truly rare to see a Muneris. Tell me, Night Wing. Why are you in this country?"

Night Wing and Cora explained the whole story of their trip in Equestria so far while Blazing scratched the back of his head at the thought of this zebra being his biological mother. The stripes on his coat matched hers exactly, but he was a pegasus. That would mean he is a hybrid of a zebra and a pegasus, or at the very least, a pony who had pegasi ancestors. Who could Blazing's father be? Did he even meet him without realizing it during his time under Princess Celestia?

"And that's the whole story so far," Night finished with a warm smile.

"That was a truly interesting story," Zecora smiled. "Thanks for telling me, young Muneris."

"Okay, now to address the elephant in the room," Cora piped up. "How do you know about the Muneris?"

"The zebras and Muneris knew each other long ago," Zecora began. "A friendship between the four before all had to go." Night watched Zecora intently as Cora raised an eyebrow before Blazing broke away from his trans. Zecora refilled her cup with her eyes closed. A perfect pour without spilling a single drop. "Not long after the Muneris came to be, they formed a union with the zebras, you see?" Zecora opened her eyes to look at Night. "Muneris, Erisumn, and Sirenum, lost and confused from magic's gloom."

"Magic's gloom?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"Before the alicorns came to be," Zecora said after a sip of her tea, "the Munseris used to be like any pony."

"Legend has it that long ago a group of ponies sought power for some reason and after making a deal with a spirit, the Muneris were born," Night observed. Zecora inclined her head. "But, that's just a legend. I pony's tale Nuneris foals grow up with. There's no truth to it at all."

"And yet, the Muneris are as real as you and me," Zecora interjected.

"Well, yeah," Night countered, "All kinds of creatures exist. Ponies, Muneris, Dragons, Griffons, the list is almost endless."

"But, there was a time when none were born," Zecora interjected. "There even was a time before the alicorn."

"That's right," Blazing piped up. "There was a time when unicorns had to raise the sun and the moon, and it took at least five of them to do it. Alicorns didn't exist until Celestia and Luna appeared back then. Celestia and Luna are the first in recorded history to exist, and they appeared at least a thousand years ago."

"With the rise of Celestia and Luna came a new age," Zecora said. "Is it so hard to believe in a pre-Muneris stage?" Night hummed in thought as she stared at the table. She never thought about exploring anything beyond the known history of the Muneris.

"Night, I never thought the griffons could be as stuck-up as they are," Cora piped up as she placed a claw on Night's shoulder. Night looked at her old friend. "Maybe it's something worth looking into? If we can find lost knowledge of your kind and bring it back to the president, maybe things could be better for all of us?"

"The idea of finding our lost past is intriguing," Night softly said. "But, will we like what we find?"

"Why so timid at the thought?" Cora asked. "Usually you'd be up in the air with excitement at the challenge."

"Normally, yes," Night agreed. "But, this is the history of my kind. It could change everything we know about who we are."

"Hey, I found out the griffons are mostly jerks," Cora interjected. "Am I telling you to "buzz off" or acting like a jerk?" Night watched her friend with a growing smile. "Just because most griffons are stuck-up jerks, doesn't mean I have to be too. Even if we find out truths we don't like, that's not gonna change who we are!"

"And if, but some chance, you end up losing a place amongst the Muneris," Blazing piped up, "you'll always have a place here in Equestria." Blazing offered the girls a smile as Zecora watched with a warm smile of her own. Even if she did not get the chance to raise her own foal, he inherited her kindness. Night smiled at the other three as her wings spread open.

"Alright," Night said. "This is something worth looking into, no matter what comes of it." Night looked at Zecora. "Would you be willing to teach us all you know?"

"Share my knowledge with you, I will," Zecora inclined her head with a closed-eyed smile. "But, I think it's time for you to return to Ponyville."

"We have been here for a while," Blazing observed. "We don't want anyone to get worried."

"But -" Night began to protest before Zecora raised a hoof.

"There will be plenty of opportunity to speak," Zecora interjected. "But, for now, we have reached our peak." The zebra stood up with a warm smile to her guests, especially Blazing. "This company has been sublime. Please, return any time." Night, Cora, and Blazing stood up from the table and followed Zecora to the door. Zecora opened the door and stood to the side to let them out. Blazing stopped short to look at the zebra.

"I'm definitely coming back for answers," Blazing stated. Zecora inclined her head with a warm smile.

"There are things I am obliged to tell," Zecora said. "When next we meet, our time will be swell." Blazing offered a smile for the first time since they arrived at Zecora's hut. Night, Cora, and Blazing left the hut into the forest. "Just one thing to avoid the gloom," Zecora called out to them, getting them all to look back at her. Zecora looked directly into Night's eye with a serious look. "You must beware of the rogue Sirenum."

"Wait, what?" Night queried. Zecora only hummed as she closed the door to her hut. "Wait, what does that mean?!" Night's cries were in vain as there was no further reply from the zebra. Night looked through the window to find Zecora lighting a fire under the cauldron. A claw rested on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Come on, Night," Cora softly said. "Let's go back to Ponyville for now. We'll get answers later." Reluctantly, Night inclined her head and walked alongside her friends into the forest back to Ponyville. At this moment, a new door had opened and presented Night with a new mission for her time here in Equestria. She needed to find answers about her equine kind. But, she could not help but think about Zecora's last words.

"You must beware of the rogue Sirenum?"

Chapter V: Chaotic Source

Night Wing and Cora chose to relax by the lake for the day. After their first meeting with Zecora in the Everfree Forest, Night wanted to seize every opportunity should could to talk to Zecora about the Murneris and the lost knowledge she somehow had.

"How do you think Zecora knows so much?" Cora queried as she lay on her back in the sunlight with a set of shades on.

"I don't know," Night answered as she lay on her belly in the grass with her chin on her forelegs. "Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around that rogue Sirenum dzod." Cora blinked as she lowered her shades to look at Night with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not like you to let your tongue slip like that," Cora observed. Night only lay there staring at the grass as she pondered Zecora's words. "Wow! She's really got your head in a twist, hasn't she?"

"Hm?" Night asked as she finally glanced at Cora. "Sorry. I can't stop thinking about Zecora's warning." Cora sat up in place as she watched her oldest friend lay on the ground.

"Muneris are the kindest creatures I know," Cora observed. "What are the chances of any of them being rogue?"

"There's much we don't know about our history," Night observed as she sat up. "Much of what we know is only based on legend. It's only been the last few centuries we started recording our history."

"Even so," Cora interjected, "there's nothing to suggest any of the Muneris have gone rogue before."

"That's one part of it that concerns me," Night piped up. "If past Muneris have gone rogue before and we have no record of it, how will we know how to fight it?" Cora watched Night as the Muneris sat there pondering the whole idea. It was rare to see Night Wing so fixated on an idea, especially one as unlikely as a Muneris being rogue.

"Maybe we can go talk to Zecora some more?" Cora suggested. Night looked at Cora with a soft smile.

"Later," Night answered. "Right now, we're taking the week off, and today is the perfect day for the lake." Night adjusted herself to lay on her back so the sun shined on the black coat of her belly. Cora smiled at the pegasus before a shadow covered the two. Both Night and Cora looked up to see a pink cloud. Night sat up to look at the cloud. "Hold on a second," Night exclaimed. "Clouds aren't pink."

Both night and Cora stood up just as a familiar technicolor pegasus flew it. "It's not supposed to rain until tomorrow!" Night and Cora watched as Rainbow Dash fought with the cloud in vain. The only result was getting covered in cotton candy while the cloud began to rain chocolate milk.

"What the -" Cora shook as the chocolate slashed over her coat. "Clouds don't rain chocolate milk either!" Night stepped out of the rain as she pulled Cora to the side. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Night answered as she looked around. Pink clouds dotted the sky, sprinkling chocolate everywhere. Night spotted another pegasus trying to fight with the clouds. "Excuse me?!" Night called out. The pegasus stopped to look at her. "What's going on with the weather here?"

"I don't know," the pegasus answered. "Nothing like this has ever happened before!" The pegasus resumed fighting with the cloud. "We gotta get this under control!"

"Cora," Night called. The griffon looked at her friend. "Do you think you could help them out since I can't interact with clouds?"

"I'm not leaving your side, Night," Cora stated firmly.

"But, they could use all the help they can get," Night protested.

"Not a chance," Cora countered. "You're my priority, nothing else."

"You're a pain, sometimes," Night observed with a smile.

"Whataya gonna do?" Cora smiled.

Night and Cora flew back into the town just as the cornfields began to pop popcorn. "Hey, Night," Cora called out, "Can you conjure a bucket for a snack?" Night stopped midflight to glare at Cora.

"Seriously?" Night snarled. "Everything's going into chaos and you want me to conjure a popcorn bucket?"

"It's popcorn!" Cora insisted. "That stuff's good!"

"Pinkie Pie's rubbing off on you, Cora," Night observed as she continued flying. Night and Cora noticed Rainbow Dash gathering the clouds as they get lassoed in place by a rope used by the orange earth pony, Apple Jack. Soon after, a bunch of malformed animals rushed towards the clouds.

"What the -?" Cora queried as she watched the animals begin devouring the clouds before a burst of magic flew through the air. Everything returned to normal. "I guess everything's alright, then," Cora observed before the chaos immediately returned.

"Never speak too soon, Cora," Night huffed as she continued to fly around the town.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Cora asked as she followed Night.

"We need to find out what's going on here!" Night answered as she flew through the streets to find the chaos spreading further. The roads became replaced with soap as the sun descended below the horizon in a second before being replaced by the moon.

"Qjyd ngu vex'g?!" Cora exclaimed as she looked up.

"Cora!" Night protested her choice of words.

"Is now really the time to worry about my language?!" Cora countered. "It's high noon! It's too early for it to be dark!" Just as she finished her sentence, the sun rose again. "What's going on?!"

"Come on!" Night called out. "Maybe Zecora knows what's going on." Night began to fly toward the forest before a cloud blocked her path. Night tried to fly through it only to get covered in cotton candy and chocolate milk. "As much as I enjoy sweets, this is not cool!" Night protested as she tried shaking off the candy.

"Hey!" a familiar male voice called out. Both Night and Cora looked up to find blazing flying in from the clouds above. He helped get the candy off Night by brushing his wings against her form. "I wouldn't bother trying the Everfree," Blazing explained as he finished brushing Night off. "I've already tried getting in there. The clouds block me every time."

"So, how are we supposed to stop this stuff?" Cora asked as she looked around and the growing chaos.

"Twilight and the others are headed for Cansterlot right now," Blazing explained. "I think the princess summoned them so they could help get this all under control. Though, I don't know how since Twilight's magic already failed."

"Wait," Night interjected. "That was Twilight's magic earlier?"

"It was," Blazing inclined his head. "She had some kinda failsafe spell that failed."

"Twilight's the best magic wielder I've ever seen!" Cora observed. "If her magic didn't work, how can anything stop this?!"

"There is no stopping it," a disembodied voice chuckled in the air. Blazing, Cora, and Night all looked around in a panic.

"Who's there?!" Cora called out as she held up her claws as if ready for a fight. Only defiant laughter filled the air in response.

"That voice sounds familiar," Night observed. Blazing and Cora looked at Night.

"What?" Cora queried.

"There's something about that voice," Night answered as she looked left and right for the source of the voice. "As if I've heard it before, but I don't know from where or when."

"Maybe someone you met as a filly?" Blazing observed.

"If that thing is the source of this chaos, Night would have nothing to do with it!" Cora countered. The chuckles filled the air again, making the three look around with concern.

"And what would a griffon know about the affairs of a Muneris?" the voice queried. Night blinked at the mention of her race. Cora snarled as she resumed a battle-ready stance. Blazing splayed his wings out as he readied himself for the worst.

"How do you know about the Muneris?" Night asked.

"How could I not know about you?" the voice asked as a tall, slender creature with the head of a pony and the body of all kinds of creatures appeared before them. "After all, the Muneris are almost as old as I am!"

"Who are you?!" Cora barked as she held up her closed claws as if ready for a fight.

"Down, kitty!" the creature snorted as he snapped the claws of his eagle-leg limb. In a flash, Cora was transformed into a full lioness. Every aspect of her eagle half was gone. Night stared at Cora with wide eyes as Cora cried out in horror.

"Qjyd ngu vex'g?!" Cora screamed out. "Opu roim!"

As Cora panicked at her new form, Blazing and Night stared at her in sheer shock. This strange creature used transformation magic to make a griffon into a full lion without even breaking a sweat. Night looked at the creature with a furrowed brow as she realized if this creature could cause so much chaotic magic with ease, transforming other creatures would be as easy as flipping a coin for him.

"Change her back!" Blazing barked as he jumped at the creature. The creature snapped the claws of his eagle limb and Blazing's wings vanished. With practiced agility, Blazing managed to land on his hooves. "My wings!"

"Now, we don't want you starting a fire, do we?" the creature observed.

Night Wing watched in awe at the way this new creature dispatched Blazing and Cora with effortless ease. This entity was no ordinary magical creature. His power rivals that of the alicorns. What chance did any of them have against something so powerful?

"Who are you?" Night asked calmly and confidently.

The creature placed a lion paw over his chest as he stretched his eagle claw out to the side and lowered his head in an elegant yet crude bow. "Why, I'm Discord! The Spirit of Disharmony!" He smiled at Night. "And it's quite the pleasure to see not one, but two Muneris in Equestria so soon after being trapped in stone for so long."

"Wait, stone prison?" Blazing asked as he blinked. "You look just like a statue back in Canterlot. The statue of chaos."

"Well, aren't you the bright one," Discord observed as he suddenly appeared behind Blazing, picking him up and giving him a noogie. "Not surprising, given your talent of fire." Blazing kicked his way out of Discord's grip in vain before Discord finally dropped him to the ground with a thud.

"What do you want?!" Cora hissed at the draconaquus.

"Me?" Discord queried as he placed his paw over his chest. "Want something? Now, why would I want anything when such wonderful chaos is all around us?!" Discord spread his arms out to the sky as more of the chaotic magic changed the area. Some of the buildings became cardboard cutouts. The roads became soap. More cotton candy clouds filled the sky.

"Enough!" Blazing barked in protest. Discord chuckled in delight.

"Oh, but chaos is such a wonderful thing!" Discord sang.

"This isn't how things are supposed to be," Night calmly observed as she took a step forward.

"And I suppose a Muneris is an export on such things," Discord scoffed as he folded his arms. "As I recall, it was the ponies who wanted things to change because they hated how things were "supposed to be" and the Muneris were the result of that."

"What do you know about the Muneris?" Night asked.

"The appropriate question is what don't I know about the Muneris," Discord corrected with a smirk. "After all, they wouldn't exist without me."

"What?!" Night blinked.

In that moment, Night's mind was filled with questions about her kind. About her past. What did this creature know about Muneris and how was he involved? So many questions that likely will not be answered now.

"To think, after a thousand years trapped in stone, I encountered not one but two here in Equestria," Discord observed with a smirk as he looked over his claws.

"Two?!" Cora hissed as she rushed to Night's side. "Night's the only Muneris in Equestria!"

"Are you sure about that?" Discord countered. "Equestria's quite a large nation full of all kinds of creatures. For all you know, there could be numerous of all three kinds of Muneris out there. Exploring new worlds. Buying homes. Making families." He paused as he smirked at Night and Cora. "Seeking more power."

"Muneris are peaceful ponies," Night countered.

"Oh, to be so young and so naive," Discord observed as he stretched an arm.

"Don't listen to him, Night," Cora protested. "That thing is only trying to get under your coat!"

"See for yourself," Discord stated as he snapped his claws. In a flash, they were in a completely different area. Traces of chaotic magic scattered all over the area, but not nearly as severe as in Ponyville. From the looks of it, they were by the sea just south of Baltimare.

Blazing, Cora, and Night Wing looked up to find a white stallion with black hair looking around in frustration. Night immediately took notice of his lack of a cutie mark and the red gem on his forehead. The stallion caught sight of Night Wing and smirked.

"Well, well!" he observed as he trotted forward. "I planned on saving you for last, but since you're here." He grabbed Night by the cheeks and pressed his gem against hers. Cora roared out and bucked the stallion in the head, knocking him to the ground. Discord burst out into laughter as the stallion got up with a growl. "Why, you!" the stallion charged only to be stopped short by a cage that appeared around him.

"That's enough out of you," Discord stated as he clapped his paw and claw together as if brushing off dirt with a smile on his face. Night stared in confusion at the Muneris in the cage.

"Who are you?" Night asked.

"Well, that's enough of that," Discord said as he snapped his claws and they all returned to Ponyville without the other pony. "You'll have to find some other time to get together," Discord smirked and chuckled.

"Who was he?!" Night insisted.

"Oh, look at the time!" Discord cheered as he looked at a non-existent watch on his wrist. "I have an appointment with Princess Celestia and her prized pupil!" He smiled at Night and the others. "Do enjoy yourselves in this wonderful chaos!" With that, Discord vanished.

"Wait!" Night called out as she began to fly off.

"Night!" Cora grabbed her friend with her forelegs to keep her on the ground. Both slipped on the soap roads with a wet thud. Blazing rushed up to help them to their paws and hooves.

"Night, calm down," Blazing instructed. "There's nothing we can do about it right now."

"That was a Muneris with no wings!" Night protested.

"And he wasn't friendly!" Cora added in frustration. "What was he trying to do to you?!" Night broke free of her friends and rushed toward the Everfree forest.

"Night, wait!" Blazing called out.

Just as Night got to the edge of the forest, a flood of chocolate milk splashed all over her, knocking her off balance and forcing her to crash on the ground. Blazing and Cora rushed up to help Night off the ground. Night shook her head in disgust. The chocolate splashed off her mane onto Blazing and Cora.

"Are you okay?" Cora asked.

"I'm fine," Night answered as she looked up to find many more clouds ready to prevent any pony from entering the forest. "We gotta think of something!"

"Calm down," Blazing interjected. "We're not gonna figure anything out if we don't keep our heads on straight."

Just as Blazing said that, a bunny with a literal spinning head hopped by them. Blazing, Cora, and Night watched the critter with wide eyes.

"That was a poor choice of words," Blazing observed.

"If we don't figure something out soon, I'm gonna flip!" Cora proclaimed as she looked her black lioness body over. "I don't how much longer I can stand being just a lion!"

"Twilight's in Canterlot right now," Blazing said as he looked toward the capital city on the mountain to the north. "Maybe when she gets back we can ask her if she knows a spell to change you back." Blazing looked at his back to where his wings should be. "And if she knows any way to get my wings back."

"You're pretty chill about all this!" Cora observed with a growl.

"I've encountered a lot of things over the years," Blazing countered. "I may have a soft spot, but I've learned how to keep my cool in tight situations."

"So, what can we do right now?" Night asked as she looked around the town. Everything was engulfed in chaos. The basic structure of the town remained, but outside of that, nothing was recognizable.

"Well, the forest is out of the question, and it seems like only Night can fly," Blazing observed as he looked around. Night spread her wings.

"I'm going to Canterlot!" Night declared. Before either Blazing or Cora could protest, she kicked off the ground and flew directly toward Canterlot.

The flight toward Canterlot was not an easy task with all the chaotic magic in the air. Cotten candy clouds kept flying in Night's path. The night and day cycle came and went in bursts instead of a steady pace. The smell of soap occasionally flooded her nose, throwing her off balance. Night fought through the chaos with pure determination until she arrived at Canterlot Castle.

Despite the chaos, only a small number of guards patrolled the area. Night Wing landed and galloped toward the main gate. "I need to see Princess Celestia!" Night proclaimed. "Ponyville is in chaos!"

"Who are you?!" the guard barked as he stood at the ready for Night's approach. "No pony may enter Canterlot at this time!"

"My name is Night Wing," Night answered. "I was invited by the princess a couple months ago for tea. Ponyville is in desperate need of her help now!"

"I'm afraid the princess has more important matters to attend to at this time," the guard answered as he softened his stance. "The Spirit of Disharmony, Discord, has broken free of his prison and is spreading chaos across Equestria."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Night countered. "His magic has completely overtaken Ponyville! My friends are in trouble, and we need the princess' help!"

"I understand your concern, Miss Wing," the guard calmly countered. "I can assure you, the princess is doing everything she can to get the situation under control."

"What about Twilight Sparkle and her friends?" Night queried. "Aren't they here to help?"

"As I understand it, they left a few minutes ago after Discord showed up," the guard explained as he looked toward the gardens. "I don't know what's going on with them." As he spoke, Night made a blindfold appear over his eyes and she rushed past him into the castle. She ignored any protests she heard coming from the guard as she ran into the castle and through the halls.

"Princess Celestia!" Night called out as she rounded a corner where she crashed into a tall alicorn mare with a dark blue coat and flowing mane that sparkled like the night sky. Night groaned and rubbed a hoof on her head as she looked up to find the Princess of the Night looking down at her.

"Young Night Wing?" Princess Luna observed. "Why are you here?"

"Princess Luna?" Night asked as she looked up at the alicorn. "Please, forgive me!" Night pleaded as she stood up and bowed her head. "I was looking for Princess Celestia."

"My sister is currently in her private quarters," Luna explained. "I have not seen her so determined for over a thousand years."

"I need to see her," Night declared as she stood up.

"It would be best not to disturb her at this time," Night countered as she looked down at the Muneris before her.

"But--" Night began to protest.

"I am well aware of your worries, Night Wing," Luna countered as she held up a hoof. "But, Discord is no easy foe. Not even my sister and I together could stop him without the power of The Elements of Harmony."

"Elements of Harmony?" Night queried as she looked at Luna.

"Ancient and powerful relics that have been used to thwart evil in many forms," Luna explained. "With their magic, my sister and I stopped Discord many moons ago by trapping him in stone." Luna looked out the nearest window. "Somehow, he has broken free of his prison."

"So, use them again!" Night ordered. "You've done it before, you can do it again!"

"The Elements of Harmony are no longer in our possession, Night Wing," Luna countered. "Only Twilight Sparkle and her five friends can use that power."

"So, where are they?" Night asked as she looked around.

"From what my sister told me," Luna began as she looked at Night, "Celestia called Twilight and her friends here to use the Elements against Discord. But, he took the Elements and hid them away. Twilight and her friends are trying to find them right now. We can only hope they make it in time."

"Wait?! What do you mean "in time"?!" Night asked in a bit of a panic.

"I may have chosen the wrong words in that statement," Luna observed with closed eyes. "As long as Twilight Sparkle and her friends remain true to their Elements, they will be able to stop Discord, no matter how far his magic spreads."

"But, what about everyone else?" Night asked.

"No pony will be harmed," Luna answered calmly. "Discord only wishes to spread his chaos. He has never driven any to death or permanent harm." Luna looked at Night with a soft smile. "Your friends will be fine." Night let out a sigh of relief at Luna's words. "In the meantime, I suggest you return to Ponyville where you can be with your friends in these hard times."

"But, what about you and Princess Celestia?" Night asked as she looked up at the princess.

"My sister and I will be fine," Luna assured. "After so long without my sister, I refuse to leave her alone again." Night watched Luna as he spoke with such conviction that it gave Night the spirit to keep going. Night smiled at the princess before bowing her head.

"Thank you for your words, Princess Luna," Night respectfully offered before bolting back down the hall. Luna watched Night leave with a warm smile on her face.

"Perhaps my sister is right about you, Night Wing," Luna softly said to herself.

Night ran through the halls of the castle before finding a door out. As soon as she was outside the castle, she kicked off the ground to fly back toward Ponyville to the south. The journey back was even more of a challenge than before with Discord's magic spreading even further. Night Wing managed to find her way back to Ponyville, which was completely engulfed in Discord's chaos. The chaos spread to the ponies too. Some acted like dogs digging at the ground with their forelegs while others floated with the air with derped eyes.

"Cora!" Night called out as she landed on the soap road. She slipped a bit before she regained her hoofing and looked around. "Cora!?" Night called out. Soon after, a black lioness tackled her to the ground. Night looked up to find a wild animal ready to enjoy a new toy. "Cora, snap out of it!" Night cried out as she used a hoof to slap Cora in the face. Cora went wide-eyed for a second before shaking her head.

"Night?" Cora queried in confusion. Cora helped Night back on her hooves. "First off," Cora began before pulling Night into a tight hug, "never fly away from me again!" Cora huffed as she held onto Night closely.

"I'm sorry," Night offered. "I got desperate."

"We really need to work on that," Cora observed as she finally let Night go.

"There you are!" Blazing's voice called out. Night and Cora looked to find him galloping toward them. "I just saw Twilight and the others going to Discord's throne!"

"That thing has a throne?" Cora asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, a bright rainbow shot into the air and spread all over Ponyville. The rainbow shined brightly as Discord's voice could be heard in the distance before being silenced and all his magic disappeared. The bright lights faded away and everything in town reverted to normal. The buildings were restored. Ponies no longer acted like animals or aimlessly floated around. All the cotton candy and popcorn was gone.

Blazing's wings were restored as Cora became a full griffon again. Both glanced at each other before they looked at themselves. Blazing smiled as he gave his wings a good flap while Cora sprang into the air with a loud cheer. Night let out a sigh of relief as she saw everything returned to normal.

"Now, that's more like it!" Cora exclaimed as she landed next to Night with a proud smile. "I'm never taking my wings for granted again!"

"I can't say I've never loved my wings more than I do now," Blazing observed before he blinked and took off toward the forest.

"Should we go with him?" Cora asked.

"I want to go check on Twilight," Night answered. "Zecora knows how to handle the forest and Blazing is family." Before Cora could say anything else, Night kicked off the ground and flew toward where the source of the rainbow came from. Cora followed close behind with no intent of letting Night get away from her so easily again.

Night and Cora soon found Twilight and the others with warm smiles on their faces. Twilight wore a gold crown with a gem shaped like her cutie mark while the other five wore necklaces with their individual cutie marks on them.

"Twilight," Night called to get their attention.

"Night, Cora," Twilight smiled at the two. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"What happened?" Cora asked as she looked at the six.

"We kicked some Discord butt!" Rainbow Dash proudly declared as she clapped her forehooves together.

"It weren't easy," Apple Jack added with a blushing smile on her face. "Discord had his magic all over all of us."

"Wait a minute," Cora interjected. "How come Discord's magic didn't affect you?" Cora asked Night as she raised a brow. Twilight and the others looked at Night in confusion.

"It didn't?" they all asked in unison.

"I guess it didn't," Night observed as she looked at herself. "I don't know why."

"You think it has anything to do with what Discord said?" Cora asked.

"We can't trust anything he said," Night countered with a glare. "He was a spirit of chaos. He was only trying to get a response out of us."

"But, what about that other Muneris?" Cora countered.

"Other Muneris?" Twilight piped up as she took a step forward.

"Long story," Night answered. "And, I don't want to talk about it right now." Night looked between them all with a soft smile. "Look, I'm glad everyone's okay."

Chapter VI: Aftermath

Night Wing, Cora, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends stood outside the Golden Oak Library after all the chaos vanished. Spike's cheeks bulge and the baby dragon lets out a loud belch with a blast of green flame flaring out of his maw. From the flames, a scroll tied with a red ribbon and gold stamp appeared in the air and landed in Spike's claw. He quickly opened the scroll and he cleared his throat.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle," Spike read aloud, "I, Princess Celestia, would like to personally thank you and your friends for ending Discord and his chaos."

"That was fast," Cora observed as Twilight smiled at her.

"You don't get to be a princess without being efficient," Twilight smiled. "Please continue, Spike."

Spike held up the scroll and continued, "By the time you read this, I will be on my way with some royal guard members to acquire Discord for proper security. Yours truly, Princess Celestia."

"Good thing the Princess' comin' to take that Discord away," Apple Jack stated as she wiped her brow with a hoof. "Even if he's trapped in stone, I'd feel much better knowin' he's in good hooves, I reckon."

"Too bad we couldn't keep the chocolate rain," Pinkie Pie cheerfully added as she bounced around.

"Leave it to Pinkie Pie to love that chocolate rain deal," Cora observed as she rolled her eyes.

Night Wing looked at the new statue of Discord lying on the ground. Discord's mouth was agape as if crying out in protest to being turned to stone again. His eyes were wide open as if surprised the Elements of Harmony were used against him again.

"So, you all turned him into stone?" Night asked Twilight. "With the Elements of Harmony?"

"Yeah," Twilight answered with a surprised look in her eyes. "How'd you know about the Elements?"

"Princess Luna told me about them earlier," Night answered. "I tried going to the princess for help, but Celestia was busy with something."

"Yeah," Spike groaned. "Busy sending all of Twilight's letters back to her," Spike groaned as he rubbed his belly. "I'm going back to bed," Spike said as he walked into the castle.

"Context?" Cora asked as she watched the dragon go into the library.

"For several weeks now," Twilight piped up, "I've been sending letters to the princess about all of learned about friendship since I moved to Ponyville. To help remind me of all those lessons, she sent them all back to me through Spike. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it was for him."

"You mean, he's been burping out letters all day?" Cora asked.

"Not all day," Twilight answered. "But still."

Trumpets suddenly filled the air and every pony in the group looked up to find Princess Celestia riding a chariot pulled by white pegasi flying toward the town. The chariot gracefully landed on the streets and came to a stop by the group. All the ponies, except for Twilight, bowed their heads in respect. Cora saw the others bowing and followed suit as Twilight rushed up to hug her mentor.

"I knew you could do it," Celestia exclaimed as she nuzzled Twilight.

"But, we almost failed, Princess," Twilight observed as she frowned at Celestia.

"And yet, you succeeded," Celestia countered with a warm smile. "The bond between you and your friends was strong enough to break through Discord's magic and you were able to defeat him with the Elements."

"I may not have been there to see it," Night piped up as she stepped forward, "but, she's right. Don't sell yourself short, Twilight." Night smiled at Twilight.

"Night Wing," Celestia beamed. "It is a pleasure to see you again." Night bowed at the princess.

"Your Highness," Night greeted. "I tried to see you earlier when Discord was spreading his magic, but I ran into your sister instead."

"Yes," Celestia replied, "Luna told me about your visit. My apologies for not being able to meet you."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Night said as she looked up. "I completely understand." Celestia smiled at the Muneris before her.

"Since you're here," Celestia began, "I'd like for you and Cora to meet me in Canterlot Castle first thing tomorrow morning."

"Wait, what?" Cora asked as she stepped next to Night. "Why would you wanna meet us?"

"While Discord was running rampant, a matter came up that concerns you," Celestia answered as she pointed at Night.

"It's nothing serious, I hope," Night observed as she watched the princess.

"Let's just say, it's something you'd be interested in," Celestia answered. "In the meantime, I have a certain troublemaker to take care of," she observed as she turned to the statue of Discord. "This one has caused more than enough trouble for a millennium."

"Hopefully that's the last we'll hear of that Discord character," Rarity observed as she played with her well-kempt mane.

Celestia and the guards gathered the statue of Discord and placed it on the chariot. Once the statue was secured, Celestia smiled at Twilight.

"Well done, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia beamed. "Keep up with your studies."

"Will do, Princess," Twilight bowed her head with a warm smile. Celestia climbed onto the chariot and the pegasi pulling it took off toward Canterlot to the north. All the ponies watched as Celestia returned to the capital until the chariot was out of sight.

"You think she wants to talk about that other Muneris we saw earlier?" Cora asked as she stood next to Night.

"What's that?" Apple Jack asked as she stepped up. "There's another one o' y'all here?"

"Apparently," Night nonchalantly answered as she thought about that white pony. She had never seen a Muneris that was not a pegasus. So, why did he have no wings?

"Well, maybe we can help find 'em?" Apple Jack offered with a warm smile. "I'm sure between the six of us, we could get some answers lickidy split."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, AJ," Night replied as she looked up. "When we saw him, he tried to do something to me." The six ponies blinked at what they just heard.

"Did he try to hurt you?" Fluttershy timidly asked with her ears pinned back.

"As if I'd give him the chance," Cora stated firmly with a bit of a growl. "I gave him a good kick to the face before he could do anything!"

"Nice!" Rainbow Dash cheered with a grin on her face. "I wish I could've been there to see that."

"Well, I'm sure it's quite the story," Rarity piped up, "but right now, I need a trip to the spa." The beautiful fashionista trotted off.

"Isn't that considered rude?" Night queried as she watched Rarity trot off.

"It's been a long day," Twilight answered. "Discord put all of us through the wringer."

"You can say that again," Cora added with a groan. "I hated being a lion."

"He turned you into a lion?" Rainbow Dash excitedly asked as she hovered before Cora to look her directly in the eye. "That is so awesome! That creep just took away my wings and made me think a single cloud was Cloudsdale with absolutely no loyalty to my friends or Ponyvil!"

"Discord made all of us the opposites of who we are so we couldn't use the Elements against him," Twilight explained as she stepped forward.

"So, everyone was hit by Discord's magic," Night observed as she hung her head, "except for me."

"Don't you fret about it, sugar cube," Abble Jack piped up as she rested a hoof on Night's shoulder. "Discord probably had some other thin' to get under your coat."

"I don't know," Night retorted. "He seemed to know a lot about me and my kind."

"He knew everything about all of us," Fluttershy timidly stepped in. "He knew about who we are, what element we represented. So, um, why wouldn't he know about you too?"

"That's a good point," Twilight agreed. "Discord's pretty powerful and old. It's not surprising he knows about you too."

"Hate to interrupt the chat," Cora piped up. "But, that Discord character has spoiled this whole day, and I'd like to relax. We were going to spend the day at the lake."

"Yeah," Night agreed. "We were just relaxing when everything started."

"I think we all could use some relaxation," Apple Jack agreed. "Whatay'all say? Let's spend the rest of the day by the lake."

"I think that sounds wonderful," Fluttershy softly agreed with a sweet smile.

"I'm gonna pass," Rainbow said. "I need to practice for the Wonderbolts and then I'm gonna catch some Zs." Before others could protest Rainbow's declaration, the pegasus flew off with a rainbow streak behind her.

"Well, I think we could all benefit from blowing off steam in our own ways," Twilight smiled.

~~)oOo(~~

The next morning, Night Wing and Cora were escorted through the halls of Canterlot Castle into a meeting chamber with multiple cushions placed neatly around a table decorated with tea cups and plates.

"You'll find your names beside your places," the escort explained. "Please, be seated while you wait for the princesses."

"Thank you," Night offered as she and Cora found their designated cushions.

"So, what do you think the princess wants with us?" Cora asked as she helped Night on her cushion before sitting in hers.

"I don't know," Night answered just as the sound of hoof-steps came from the open door. A unicorn stallion with a very unique horn protruding from his golden mane stepped in. His horn was red against his black coat and resembled that of a crystal. As he stepped into view, Night took notice of his flanks. They were blank.

"Greetings," the stallion offered with a bow of his head. "My name is Fire Fly."

"My name is Night Wing and this is my best friend, Cora," Night replied as she gestured a hoof to each of them. "Parden me, but are you a Muneris?" Fire blinked as he took a double-take at Night before he saw her blank flank.

"I'm an Erisumn," Fire answered. "So, you're a Muneris," he observed as he stepped forward. "I've never met one of your kind before. This'll be interesting." He took a seat on a cushion by the table. Cora watched Fire intently. "And a griffon too," Fire observed. "Best friend? How do a Muneris and a griffon become friends when they occupy different nations?"

"Night cared for me since I hatched," Cora explained.

"Interesting," Fire hummed as he scratched his chin with a hoof. Just then, an earth pony female walked in. Her coat was white and her mane was grey. She also lacked a cutie mark.

"Am I late?" she queried as she saw the others.

"Our hosts have yet to show up, so I'd say you're on time," Fire replied. "And you are?"

"I'm Crystal Clear," the mare stated as she bowed her head before walking in to find her cushion. "I'm a Serinum. You're a Muneris," she said as she looked at Night. "And, you're an Erisumn," she concluded as she looked at Fire. "This is history in the making. For the first time in who knows how long, all the Muneris are together in one place?"

"I didn't even know any other Muneris races existed," Night interjected.

"The Erisumn are aware of the others, but we keep to ourselves," Fire explained.

"Well, it's wonderful that we get to be a part of this," Crystal exclaimed.

"Excuse me, but how do you know that this is the first time all three of you have been together in so long?" Cora piped up with a raised brow.

"Oh, that's due to my power," Crystal answered. "I can see details of the past as if looking at a picture. Though, my power tends to be quite touchy. Sometimes I can get it to work when I want and other times it only works how and when it wants to."

"Well, that's convenient," Cora rolled her eyes.

"Do you all have unique powers too?" Night queried as she looked between the others.

"I am completely immune to flame and heat," Fire answered. "My father could bend the air to his will and my mother could take the form of ice."

"My mother was telepathic and my father was empathic," Crystal added. "Psychic powers are pretty standard in my family." Both Crystal and Fire looked at Night. "And, what might your power be, young one?"

"I can conjure up objects," Night answered as she made a small cup appear on the table.

"How practical," Crystal smiled.

"Announcing the royal sister, Princesses Celestia and Luna," a guard announced. Night, Cora, Fire, and Crystal all turned to see the two sisters walking side-by-side into the room.

"I must thank you all for coming this morning," Celestia smiled as she found the empty cushion with her name. Luna sat down beside her older sister. "It is an honor to see all three Muneris kind together."

"If you don't mind my asking, princess," Night said. "What's this about?"

"Hold on," Fire interjected. "This meeting is for the Equestrian monarchy and members of each Muneris race." Fire looked at Night and Cora. "I'm sorry, but your griffon friend must go."

"I never leave Night's side," Cora countered with a furrowed brow.

"I understand you are close, but this is an important matter that doesn't concern you," Fire insisted.

"Cora never leaves my side," Night interjected firmly. "Period."

"Cora is as much a member of the Muneris nation as Night Wing is," Princess Celestia chimed in. "She was born and raised in their nation which makes her native to the Muneris. So, she does have a right to be here."

"Oh, you were raised all the way out there?" Crystal piped up with a smile. "How extraordinary!" Crystal looked at Fire. "Fire, I think we can accept her presence here." Fire looked at Cora for a minute before letting out a hum.

"Very well," Fire said. "I will protest no further."

"Very good," Celestia said as she began pouring tea for all of her guests. "Now, I intended on setting Night Wing a letter yesterday, but there was a change of plans thanks to our old friend Discord."

"Speaking of which," Crystal interjected as she looked at Night Wing. "Did that creature's magic have any effect on you, young one?"

"It didn't," Night answered. "But, I don't remember him trying to use anything on me."

"But he did use his magic on everypony around you, yes?" Crystal insisted.

"That creep turned me into a lion and took away our friend, Blazing Feather's wings away," Cora explained. "What about that other Muneris he showed us?"

"Another Muneris?" Fire piped up with wide eyes.

"Yes," Night answered. "That Discord took us to Balitimare where a Sirenum was."

"Did he try anything?!" Fire continued with concern on his face.

"He pressed his gem against mine," Night answered.

"But I kicked him in the face before he could do anything else," Cora proudly added.

"Did you feel any dizziness or weakness in any way?" Crystal calmly asked.

"No," Night answered with a shake of her head. "Whatever he tried to do was stopped thanks to my friend."

"Thank the stars!" Fire sighed.

"What was he trying to do?" Night asked.

"Dusk can absorb natural abilities from other creatures," Crystal explained. "He requires physical contact to gain anything. When he does this, the victim is temporarily drained and, in some cases, they suffer amnesia."

"Hold on!" Cora said. "A friend we met in Griffonstone had those exact symptoms some time ago!"

"That's right," Night agreed. "We were on a trip to Fillydelphia where we found her in the hospital. She was completely exhausted and couldn't remember what happened the day before."

"Then, he's taken something from a griffon," Crystal sighed.

"Like what?" Cora asked.

"This is just speculation, but if I had to guess, he's taken the speed of a griffon," Crystal answered. "Which means, he can move as fast as any griffon."

"And who knows what else he has taken," Fire added.

"Eh em," Celestia piped up to get their attention. "I've been remaining silent thus far because you happened to be on the subject of this meeting."

"I'm afraid Dusk has taken the strength of several creatures here in Equestria for weeks," Luna added.

"How would you know?" Cora asked with a raised brow before the crack of a whip made her yelp.

"Apologies," Night said. "My friend tends to be a bit brash."

"There's no need for an apology, Night Wing," Luna raised a hoof. "For, I know this due to my position as the Princess of the Night. I rule over the night where dreams are the strongest. Many of our subjects have suffered nightmares of an earth pony stealing something from them. And it's the same pony in all of these dreams. A white stallion with a black mane and red gem on his forehead."

"That's the exact description of Dusk," Crystal said with a sigh. "Then we may already be too late."

"Hold on," Fire interjected. "Were these just the dreams of ponies, or do you see the dreams of all creatures in Equestria?" Fire asked Luna directly.

"Dreams are dreams no matter who has them," Luna answered. "Any creature who claims Equestria as their home is within my jurisdiction."

"Okay, so how many creatures share this dream?" Fira continued.

"I've seen at least one of each pony race," Luna began before looking at Night, "your griffon friend, a changeling--"

"A changeling?" Fire interrupted. "He's taken the power of a shapeshifter?!"

"I'm afraid so," Luna answered with closed eyes.

"Wait a minute," Night interjected. "Why is he stealing so much power?"

"Back in our homeland," Crystal began, "Dusk's power was considered to be dangerous. Too many times, Sirenum who had this power were corrupted and tried to gain more and more for themselves."

"We've had ponies with similar powers, but they never went rogue," Night said as she scratched her chin with a hoof.

"That's because this power is supposed to be temporary," Fire interjected. "It's a power quite common amongst the Erisumn, but it's always temporary. Those with the power use it for various tasks from heavy lifting to emergency care."

"But with Sirenum, it's different," Crystal added. "The power is permanent, and while the affected are only temporarily weakened, the power gained never fades."

"Wow!" Cora piped up. "Imagine all the strength one could get from that power."

"Exactly!" Crystal pointed at Cora. "In the past, Sirenum with this power are carefully watched over and trained so they don't let the power get to their heads. We thought Dusk was doing great in his training, but he was stealing power bit by bit from everything he could find. Insects, small animals, and other Sirenum in their sleep. He was clever in hiding his growing strength."

"But, why?" Night asked.

"Why else?" Fire asked. "He wants to be the strongest creature on the earth. To what end, who knows."

"In my experience, there are many reasons why one would seek power," Celestia interjected. "Anything from simply getting stronger to becoming the ruler of all. I knew one who wanted to steal all the magic in Equestria."

"What happened to him?" Cora asked.

"He's currently imprisoned in Tartarus," Celestia answered.

"And we must do the same to Dusk before he gets any stronger," Fire declared.

"We might already be too late for that," Crystal said as she held a hoof to her forehead with her eyes closed. "I see a dragon laying in the dirt looking weak. As if he's too tired to even snore."

"The dragon land is far from here," Fire exclaimed. "How'd he get the power of a dragon?!"

"Dragons migrate through Equestria," Celestia observed. "Even if they didn't, there are several dragons who call Equestria their home. My student Twilight has a dragon by her side almost all the time."

"Spike's just a baby," Cora observed.

"But, he's still a dragon," Night added. "It wasn't a baby, purple and green dragon you saw, was it?" Night asked Crystal.

"No, this one was much older," Crystal answered. "This one is blue and yellow. I can make out a cave with mountains of gold and gems piled around him. Dusk has definitely gotten bold enough to attack a dragon in its nest."

"Well, that much is a plus," Cora said.

"Do you think he'll come after Spike and the others later?" Night asked.

"I can say with certainty that your friends are safe for now," Crystal said. "He's only attacked one member of each race. Judging by what Princess Luna said, I think it's safe to assume he won't be attacking any more ponies. He's after other creatures to get stronger now."

"Sounds like he's taken a changeling, a dragon, and a griffon at least," Night observed. "What will happen when he gets every creature?"

"He'll obviously come after the other Muneris races," Fire observed.

"I'm not so sure it'll be as simple as that," Cyrstal said with a bit of a strained look on her face.

"What is it?" Night asked as she watched Crystal.

"I don't know," Crystal answered as she felt the blue gem on her forehead. "Could see two ponies with gems on their foreheads. They touch each other. Then everything goes fuzzy."

"What the jura is that supposed to mean?" Cora asked with a raised brow. "OW!" Cora yelped as Night glared at her.

"Qyts hiel dimkeu, Cora!" Night hissed.

"Profanity aside," Crystal began as she watched Cora before closing her eyes. "The only thing I can think of is something briefly mentioned in my studies." Crystal looked up at the other Muneris at the table. "Fusion."

"That's taboo!" Fire exclaimed sharply.

"What's "fusion"?" Cora asked as she leaned closer to Night.

"Well, fusion is when two things become one," Night answered.

"I know what fusion means," Cora huffed.

"It's taboo of the highest degree!" Fira insisted. "There's no way Dusk would dare go that far!"

"Please, settle down," Celestia interjected.

"Do forgive me, princess, but will not tolerate such talks," Fire protested.

"We are dealing with an extreme situation, Fire," Crystal said.

"What does fusion have to do with Muneris?" Night asked.

"I've seen images of Muneris I've never seen before," Crystal answered as she looked at Night. "Ever since I was a filly, images of a Muneris with a horn and wings kept popping up in my head, and they've only grown more frequent."

"No such Muneris exists," Night observed.

"You thought there weren't other Muneris races before," Cora observed.

"No, she's right," Crystal exclaimed. "No such Muneris exists."

"And there never will be one!" Fire declared. "I will not allow it!" With that, Fire stood up and rushed out of the closest window.

"Fire, wait!" Crystal called out after him. "You don't stand a chance against Dusk on your own!"

"I'm not going to face him alone!" Fire called out as he ran off.

"Should we try and stop him?" Cora asked as she stood up.

"I think it would be better to think about how to stop Dusk before it's too late," Crystal answered.

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends have access to the Elements of Harmony," Night observed. Crystal blinked as she looked at Night.

"The Elements of Harmony?" Crystal queried. "As in, the ancient charms capable of boundless magic?"

"You know of the Elements?" Celestia asked as Luna watched closely.

"I heard of them when I was a filly and studied them every chance I got," Crystal answered. "It wasn't easy since most knowledge of their existence comes from here in Equestria."

"Do you think they could work?" Night asked.

"I don't know," Crystal said as she scratched her chin. "If I'm correct, the Elements will only work for those chosen to wield them."

"I'm sure Twilight will be more than happy to help in this matter," Celestia observed.

"Okay," Crystal said as she stepped up. "But, we need to find out where he is and lure him into a trap first."

"I think I might be able to help with trapping him," Night observed. "When I first saw him, he said "I was gonna save you for last," before he tried to take my power."

"I'm afraid he might've been trying more than just take your power, but knowing that could make be a big help in this matter. In the meantime, I think you should return to wherever you're staying until we get things settled."

"And I'll alert Twilight and her friends for what's to come," Celestia added.

"Sounded like Fire's gonna get help catching this guy, so I think we don't have to worry about search parties," Cora observed.

"Alright," Night said with a confident smile. "I'm ready to play my part.

Chapter VII: The Calm Before the Storm

Cora followed close behind Night Wing as they walked toward the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville. Cora never took her eyes off the black Muneris since yesterday in Canterlot. The thought of potentially losing her oldest friend to some crazy pony who steals power terrified her to the core. Cora would rather die than lose her closest friend.

Night Wing opened the door to the library, where the ring of a small bell filled the air. "Twilight?" Night called as Cora followed close behind. Night and Cora looked around to find Spike putting away a few books on the top of a ladder. The baby dragon looked at his guests and smiled.

"Oh, hey, Night and Cora," Spike warmly greeted. "Twilight and I were gonna come look for you after I put these books away." Spike placed the last book on the shelf before sliding down the ladder. The sound of hooves coming from upstairs caught everyone's attention and they all looked up to find Twilight trotting down with a smile.

"Night Wing, perfect timing!" Twilight beamed.

"I take it you got a message from Princess Celestia?" Night asked as she watched Twilight trot up.

"Yes," Twilight said as a serious look replaced her warm smile. "Celestia told me about Dusk and the other Muneris."

"Kinda surprised you're not quizzing us about them," Cora observed as she watched Twilight.

"Oh, I have many questions, but they'll have to wait," Twilight stated as she stood before Night and Cora. "Right now, we have to worry about Dusk. What can you tell me about him?"

"I don't know anything about him right now," Night answered.

"We just know he steals power and he's trouble," Cora added.

"So, no new information," Twilight observed as she scratched her chin with a hoof. "Well, we have access to the Elements of Harmony when needed, so we're okay there."

"Where are the Elements, anyway?" Cora asked.

"Cora, that's not something for us to know," Night protested.

"There in a safe place," Twilight answered. "Trust me, we'll be ready for Dusk."

"See, Cora?" Night smiled at her friend. "We'll be fine."

"I'm not gonna settle down just because Twilight says so," Cora countered. "Besides, what about that other thing you wanted to ask Twilight about?"

"Other thing?" Twilight asked. Night looked at Twilight.

"At the meeting, something came up that made Fire Fly angry," Night explained. "What can you tell us about fusion?"

"Fusion?" Twilight raised a brow. "Why would fusion have anything to with this?"

"Crystal said it might be Dusk's end goal and Fire got all hissy and ran off," Cora explained.

"Spike, could you bring me the book on--" Before Twilight could finish her sentence, Spike held up a large book with a smile.

"Here you go," Spike proclaimed proudly. Twilight smiled at him as she took the book in her magic and carried it to a stand, laying it open and flipping through the pages.

"Let's see," Twilight said as she flipped through the pages. "Fusion magic isn't complicated, but can still be very dangerous." Night stepped next to Twilight as she watched the book.

"What's so dangerous about it?" Night asked.

"If done correctly, nothing," Twilight explained as she landed on a page. "The result is always a combination of the parties involved. Strength, intelligence, and magical ability. But, there's also the strong possibility of one or all parties involved being lost forever."

"When you say "lost forever," you mean?" Cora queried with a raised brow.

"There's no clear answer," Twilight answered as she flipped a page. "It could be anything from one of the participants being completely absorbed by the other to all involved just becoming a single being. No trace of either involved at all." Twilight looked at Night and Cora. "For example, if Spike and I fused--"

"Eeww!" Spike gagged. "Fuse with you?! Not happening!" Spike turned his head as he held a claw up at Twilight.

"It's just an example, Spike," Twilight countered with a furrowed brow. "Anyway, like I was saying. If we were to do something like that, it's possible the result could be more pony than dragon, or vice-versa. Or, the result could be entirely pony or entirely dragon. You wouldn't be able to tell if it was a fusion at all."

"Are the effects pertinent?" Night asked.

"I don't know," Twilight answered as she flipped another page with her magic. "All of the information in this book is just conjecture."

"Then how do you even know it's possible?" Cora asked as she pulled the book closer to her.

"The techniques were created by Starswirl the Bearded himself," Twilight answered.

"Starbeard who now?" Cora raised a brow at Twilight, who rolled her eyes in response.

"Starswirl the Bearded," Twilight answered. "He was a genius in magic and created numerous spells. There's a whole room dedicated to him in Canterlot Castle."

"Never heard o' him," Cora sighed.

"Even so," Night piped up before Twilight could protest. "I don't suppose there's anything in there about Muneris fusion?" Twilight began flipping through the pages with her magic again.

"Nothing," Twilight said. "Spike, do we have anything on the Muneris?"

"Let's see," Spike said as he looked through the shelves. "M for Muneris." He stopped in the M section. "Ah huh!" He pulled out a book and rushed up. Twilight took the book in her magic and began skimming through the pages with her magic.

"There's plenty of information on Muneris cultures as we know them right now, but I don't see anything about fusion," Twilight explained.

"Fire Fly said it was a taboo," Night explained with a raised brow. "It really shook him up at the meeting yesterday."

"A taboo, huh?" Twilight began flipping through the pages again. "It looks like that may be the biggest taboo of them all. The Erisumn forbade almost nothing and the Serinum kept a close eye on absorbing magics."

"And the Muneris have nothing on the subject whatsoever," Night added. "I guess it's something we'll have to play by ear."

"There's NO way I'm letting that creep get anywhere near you, Night," Cora fiercely proclaimed.

"I know I can count on you, Cora," Night smiled at the griffon.

"Parden me, but are you two a couple?" Twilight asked with a friendly smile. Cora blinked at the question while Night smiled.

"Oh, we're just friends," Night answered.

"Yeah, just friends," Cora agreed.

"Okay," Twilight giggled. "I was just thinking how you two could be great together." Twilight grabbed both books in her magic to put them away.

"Why do you think that?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, it's just that you two are always together," Twilight observed as she put the books back where they belonged on their shelves. "You've known each other for a long time. You get along quite well." Twilight paused to smile at them. "You almost remind me of Lyra and Bon Bon or DJ P0n3 and Octavia."

Cora scratched her chin as she thought about Twilight's words. Cora knew Night Wing her entire life and never once had she ever thought about taking their relationship further. She was happy being there for her whenever and wherever. The thought of being more than a friend was both strange and appealing to her. Perhaps she should take a leap of faith with Dusk out there. Any day could be their last together. If there ever was a time to take the next step, now would be that time.

"Well, thank you for your help, Twilight," Night offered.

"Any time, Night," Twilight replied.

~~)oOo(~~

A week later, Crystal was seen in Ponyville. Night and Cora rushed out to meet her in the streets. They found her passing in front of Sugar Cube Corner.

"Hey, Crystal!" Night called out to get her attention. Crystal looked at the two and offered a warm smile.

"There you are," Crystal greeted.

"Any word on Dusk?" Night asked.

"I'm afraid not," Crystal frowned. "I've found out Fire Fly returned to Equestria with a search party. Dusk is nowhere to be seen."

"So, where is he?" Cora asked.

"I can't help but fear he's left Equestria to gain power from other nations," Crystal observed. "There's no telling what kind of power he'll gain from other creatures."

"What if he gets so strong that not even the Elements of Harmony can stop him?" Cora asked.

"I don't think that's possible," Night observed. "The Elements are the most powerful magical objects known to Ponydom. They were used to stop Nightmare Moon, twice, and Discord and he was basically a deity."

"Night's right," Crystal added. "If the Elements could stop one as powerful as Discord, then stopping Dusk shouldn't be hard either."

"Why do I get the feeling we're all gonna regret those words?" Cora observed.

"Lighten up, Cora," Night said as she rubbed a hoof on Cora's shoulder.

"Night, let's go on a date!" Cora suddenly said. Night and Crystal stared at Cora with wide eyes. Cora blushed when she realized what she said. She had been thinking about it ever since Twilight said something. Every day she thought about spending at least one day or evening with Night, not as a friend, but as a lover. The fear of Dusk coming for Night Wing only fueled those thoughts. The idea had been building up every day and it finally burst in that moment. "I mean, um-"

"Cora?" Night's soft voice pulled Cora out of her stunted state. Cora looked at Night, who warmly smiled back at her. "Do you really wanna go on a date with me?"

"Yes!" Cora answered without hesitation. "We've known each other for a long time. I've always cared about you. Dusk could show up any day to try and take you from me. I want us to spend at least one date together before I might lose you forever."

"Cora, you're not gonna lose me," Night assured Cora as she stepped closer to the griffon. Cora hung her head in shame.

"You're right, it was stupid of me to say something," Cora admitted in defeat.

"No, it wasn't," Night countered as she grabbed Cora's cheeks with her hooves to look her in the eye. Night smiled. "I'm glad you said something. And, I'd like very much to go on a real date with you."

"Seriously?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"Zuloiezra," Night inclined her head. Cora smiled as her eyes welled up a little.

"Well, this is a wonderful occasion," Crystal observed.

"I'll say it is!" a familiar pink pony cued as she poked her head out from behind Crystal. Crystal jumped with a scream of surprise at the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie. "This calls for a party!" Pinkie cheered as she pulled a party cannon out of her tail and fired it into the air. Confetti rained from the sky all over everyone.

"Qji pu ngos?!" Crystal cried out.

"This is Pinkie Pie," Night chuckled. "She's the town clown."

"A clown?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a clown. I'm a party pony!" Pinkie proceeded to bound around Night and Cora. "And you two deserve to celebrate becoming a couple! We'll need balloons! Streamers! Confetti! Oh! I need to write up some invitations!" Pinkie bolted out of sight in a second.

"Um, we're not actually going to have a party over this, are we?" Cora raised a brow.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Night observed. "We can plan something afterward."

"An Equestrian party?" Crystal scratched her chin. "I think I'd enjoy some of that."

"What's this about a party?" Zuro trotted up with a pegasus mare that almost matched his color pattern perfectly at his side.

"Night and Cora are going to have their first date!" Pinkie cheered as she appeared between them. "And you two are invited to their happy-first-date party!"

"Oh, that's wonderful," the mare smiled at Night and Cora. "I was beginning to wonder if you two would take that step."

"I knew it all along," Zuro observed. "Congrats, you two!"

"Thank you, Zuro, Angel," Night offered with a warm smile.

Angel Wings was the name of the mare at Zuro's side. She moved into Ponyvile just before the Summer Sun Celebration. Not long after that, she and Zuro became close friends before becoming a couple.

"Maybe we could make it a double date?" Angel offered. "It'll be fun. I mean, you two are always together. Why not share the moment with some friends?"

"I think that sounds lovely!" Night observed.

"Well, I was kinda hoping it'd be just us, but that actually sounds cool," Cora observed. "Why not? Let's go on a double date!"

"Oh, I'm gonna need lots of punch!" Pinkie beamed.

~~)oOo(~~

"I mean, what are you supposed to do on a first date?" Cora asked as she sat in the middle of Rarity's boutique while the fashionista took the griffon's measurements with a smile on her face.

"Darling, you simply must relax," Rarity chuckled as she used her magic to snip a few ribbons as she took Cora's measurements. "You and Night Wing are the best of friends. It's not like a date is going to destroy that."

"How can you be sure about that?" Cora raised a brow at the white unicorn.

"Darling, my friends and I have had many disagreements since I've known them," Rarity explained as she used some fabric to fashion a bowtie around Cora's neck. "The key is communication. Why, not too long ago, I convinced Fluttershy to model for me and Photo Finish turned her into a supermodel. I was so jealous, I wanted Fluttershy to fail."

"I was wondering why I started seeing pictures of Fluttershy everywhere," Cora observed as Rarity adjusted the tie around Cora's neck.

"Yes, well," Rarity smiled at her work. "As it turns out, Fluttershy hated being a model. Eventually, we talked about it and found out that if we communicated better, I wouldn't have been so jealous and she wouldn't have to be a model. She hated the spotlight."

"That still doesn't answer my question," Cora stated. "What are you supposed to do for a first date?"

"Darling, all you need to do is spend time with her," Rarity smiled.

"We do that all the time," Cora countered. "Honestly, it's driving me crazy not having her by my side."

"Cora, darling, all you have to do is take her to dinner," Rarity began as she took a brush with her magic to brush Cora's feathers. "Go to the movies. Make the day all about her. Nothing else matters."

"You really think it's as simple as that?" Cora asked as she stood up. "Dusk is out there and we--"

"Stop right there," Rarity interjected with a raised hoof. "That right there is what will ruin what could be a fantastic evening with the one you love. Forget about that awful character this one time and focus on Night. What does she like to do? What's her favorite meal? That kind of thing. Dusk doesn't exist."

Just then, Night came out from behind a curtain with a long blue dress draping over her flanks and tail. A crown of flowers dawned on her head. She smiled at Rarity and Cora as she trotted up. "How do I look?"

"Simply gorgeous!" Rarity beamed as she admired the dress.

"You look great," Cora added as she smiled at Night. "But, I have to ask why we're getting all fancied up like this?"

"Don't you want to look your best for your first date?" Rarity asked as she raised a hoof.

"Of course we do, Rarity," Night said as she stepped next to the unicorn. "These outfits are lovely! Might even consider wearing them for the next Grand Galloping Gala, if we get invited."

"Oh, these outfits are much too simple for the gala," Rarity waved her hoof. "I'll design the perfect outfits for you for the gala!" Rarity used her magic to grab her crafting tools.

"Woah, hold up there, sister!" Cora stated as she rushed to Night's side. "We're not going to the gala, we haven't been invited to that."

"But, why not?" Rarity pouted. "You two have met both the princesses twice. You should be invited to the next gala."

"It's alright, Rarity," Night giggled. "We'll worry about that when the time comes."

"Yeah, we'll be sure to come see you if we get invited," Cora added with a roll of her eyes.

"You at least have a plan for tonight, don't you?" Rarity queried. "Oh! I know the best restaurant for any occasion!"

"That's okay, Rarity," Night smiled at the fashionista. "I have faith Cora will treat me right." Night smiled at Cora. Cora's cheeks flushed red as she smiled.

"Hey, are you two ready?" Zuro asked as he walked into the boutique with Angel at his side.

"Oh, you're just in time!" Rarity chimed. "They just finished getting dressed!"

"Night, you look beautiful!" Angel beamed as she trotted up in a simple dress.

"Thank you," Night smiled.

"Lookin' sharp in that tie, Cora," Zuro observed with a warm smile. Cora smiled as she adjusted the tie a bit.

"Well then, don't let me keep you from your special night," Rarity offered.

"Thank you for the outfits, Rarity," Night said as she walked with Cora to the door. Angel and Zuro followed close behind.

"My pleasure, darling," Rarity beamed. "Now, go have some fun!"

The two couples left the boutique side-by-side. "So, what are we gonna do first?" Night smiled at Cora.

Cora scratched her chin as she thought about it. Rarity suggested thinking about Night's favorite things like food. "This way," Cora smiled and led Night Wing through the streets until they came to Sugar Cube Corner.

"Here?" Night asked as she looked around. "Aren't we a bit over-dressed for the Corner?"

"Who cares?" Cora asked. "I know you love the treats here."

"I think it's a great idea!" Zuro stated as he smiled at the bakery.

"Here here!" Angel cheered.

"And I've got the perfect cake for the occasion!" Pinkie said as she poked her head out of the door. "Come on!" Pinkie grabbed the couples in her forehooves and yoinked them into the bakery. Pinkie planted all of them next to a table before quickly placing a cake with Night's and Cora's faces on it in front of them. Colorful letters were placed above the images that read "Happy first date!"

"Thank you, Pinkie!" Night smiled at the party pony.

"How'd you--" Cora began to ask before she shook her head. "Never mind."

"And one for you two!" Pinkie cheered as she placed a cake in front of Zuro and Angel. It had the same theme as Night's and Cora's, only the letters on this one read "Happy Couple!"

"Pinkie's Pinkie Senses were tingling, so we fixed something up for you," Mrs. Cup Cake said with a warm smile as she walked up. "Let me say I'm happy for you all."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cake," Night said as the baker helped cut the cake for the couple.

Their time spent at Sugar Cube Corner was filled with laughter as the Cakes tried to keep Pinkie Pie under a leash from her usual antics. What was left of the cakes was stored away in a box for Night and Cora to enjoy later. After a delicious treat, the couples went to a movie for the rest of the evening. When the movie was over, the quartet left the building with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, guys!" Blazing said as he found the couples leaving the theater. "How's your first date going?" Blazing asked Night and Cora.

"I've been having a wonderful time!" Night cheered as she hugged Cora. Cora smiled as she draped a wing over Night's shoulders.

"Wonderful!" Blazing cued. "And, I'm glad to see you two are going strong, too."

"What can I say?" Zuro said. "She's my Guardian Angel!"

"Oh, stop it!" Angel giggled as she nuzzled Zuro's cheek.

"Okay, now you guys are making me jealous," Blazing chuckled.

"You don't have a mare friend?" Cora asked.

"I had one long ago, but..." Blazing trailed off as he hung his head. "It's a story I don't want to relive."

"I'm sure things will change for you soon enough, Blazing," Night assured.

"One can only hope," Blazing offered a soft smile. "When that day comes, I'll be sure to let you know."

Night and Cora smiled at their friends as the moon illuminated the night sky.

Chapter VIII: Another Arrival

Word of Night Wing and Cora's date spread across Ponyville like wildfire. Over the next week, the couple was greeted with warm smiles and "congratulations" as they walked through the streets. One day, as Night and Cora trotted for the Golden Oak Library, they were greeted by three fillies.

"Hi Night! High Cora!" the trio smiled up at them.

"Hi Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle," Night greeted the Cutie Mark Crusators with a warm smile.

"Hey, sport!" Cora smiled at the orange pegasus and gave her a hoof bump. "How's that scooter of yours?"

"It's great!" Scootaloo bounced in place. "Thanks for fixing it up for me!" she smiled at Night.

"You're welcome, Scoots," Night replied.

"You two goin' on another date?" Applebloom asked as she smiled at the two.

"Actually, we were going to see Twilight Sparkle at the library," Cora answered. "Night wants to do some research."

"About what?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about it," Night said.

"Maybe we could help you with your research," Scootaloo offered.

"I don't think you can," Cora observed. "We've looked through those books a dozen times."

"It never hurts to have one more look," Night smiled. "Besides, you tend to notice things you missed the first time." Cora rolled her eyes.

"Twilight's not at the library anyway," Applebloom chimed in. Night and Cora looked at the little farm filly. "Applejack is on a picnic with Twilight and the rest of their friends."

"Yeah," Sweetie piped up. "Rarity's with them. She never misses a picnic date with her friends."

Suddenly, a familiar baby dragon rushed by the group.

"Wasn't that Spike?" Cora asked.

"You know any other purple, baby dragon in Ponyville?" Night asked.

"For him to be in a rush like that means Princess Celestia sent Twilight a letter," Scootaloo observed.

"Let's go see what's up," Night smiled at the three fillies. The Cutie Mark Crusators smiled at the pegasus before all five of them trotted after Spike. After a bit of a walk, they found the dragon with six mares gathered around a picnic. They all wore excited smiles on their faces except for Twilight, who looked frustrated.

"Hey gals," Cora chirped as they walked up to the group of mares.

"Hi Cora," Rainbow Dash smiled at the group.

"Applebloom, what're y'all doin' here?" Applejack asked.

"Night and Cora wanted to see Twilight," Applebloom answered.

"Then we saw Spike run out here," Scootaloo added.

"Yeah, what's up?" Night queried as she smiled at Twilight and the other mares.

"We've all been invited by the Princess to host a royal wedding in Canterlot!" Rarity cheered.

"Woah!" Cora blinked. "A royal wedding in Canterlot?"

"That's what she just said," Rainbow said with a big grin. "And I'm gonna do a Sonic Rainboom!"

"You mean, that stunt you pulled at the Best Young Fliers Competition?" Night asked with an excited smile on her face.

"You know it!" Rainbow cheered before doing an aerial backflip.

"That's awesome!" Night smiled at the group.

"Woah, hold on a minute!" Cora piped up. "What about--" Cora stopped short when she remembered the fillies were in the group. "What about Night and me? Aren't we all supposed to stick close for a while?"

"No need to worry about that," Crystal's voice came from behind them. They all looked up to find the Sirenum walking up with a warm smile. "I think we can spare a few days without Twilight around."

"But, I wanted to do some more research at the library," Night protested.

"What kinda research?" Scootaloo asked.

"It's alright," Twilight piped up. "You can use the library all you want while we're gone."

"But, what about--" Cora began to protest.

"Cora, relax," Crystal interjected. "I'm gonna be in town for a while."

"We're gonna be here too."

Night and Cora looked up to find Blazing, Zuro, and Angel walking up with warm smiles.

"Hey guys," Cora greeted the other pegasi.

"Crystal filled us in on the details," Blazing smiled.

"We're more than happy to help out," Angel added.

"Angel speaks for all of us," Zurro concluded.

"Is this about that Dusk character?" Applejack asked with a raised brow.

"Who's Dusk?" Applebloom piped up.

"He's an old friend of hours," Night smiled at the three fillies. "We're expecting him to arrive in Equestria any day now, so we wanted to do some research on different ways we can surprise him."

Cora smirked at her old friend. Night Wing did not lie often, but when she did, it was as if she did nothing but lie her entire life.

"We can help with that," Scootaloo bounced in excitement.

"Thanks, Scoots, but the less ponies know about it, the better," Night smiled.

"Aww," Scootaloo pouted.

"Hey, why don't you three try fishing in the lake," Cora suggested. "You might find your cutie marks in fishing!"

"That sounds like fun!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"Fishing?! Are you kidding?!" Scootaloo countered. "Fishing is the most boring thing any pony can do! Why don't we try skateboarding instead?!"

"We tried that yesterday," Applebloom scoffed.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders began walking off as they conversed with each other on what activities to try next. "Hold on, you three," Twilight called out. The Crusaders stopped to look back at the unicorn. "The princess mentioned you three taking part in the wedding too. Why don't you all head back home to pack for a few days?"

"We're going to be in the wedding too?!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"Yes, you're going to be the ring bearers," Twilight smiled.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Ring Bearers!" the three cheered before bolting away.

"Those three are adorable!" Crystal cued as she watched them leave.

"Anyway," Cora said. "What are we supposed to do if Dusk shows up and you're not here?" Cora pointed at the six.

"Cora, I'm positive we can spare a few days without the elements," Crystal piped up.

"Are you sure?" Night asked.

"I'm sure," Crystal smiled.

"Pardon my curiosity darling, but how can you be so sure?" Rarity asked as she trotted up.

"I can see images of the future," Crystal answered.

"Really?!" Twilight perked up. "Oh, I have so many questions!"

"None of which will be answered here," Crystal stated with a friendly smile. Twilight opened her maw to continue, but Crystal raised a hoof. "Twilight, I think you and your friends have a wedding to plan."

"She's right, sugar cube," Applejack smiled. "I better get back to the farm and help Applebloom pack."

"As should I with Sweetie Belle," Rarity agreed. "She'll pack the whole house if I'm not there to help her."

"Shouldn't some pony go help Scootaloo too?" Fluttershy softly asked as she looked at Rainbow Dash.

"The pipsqueak can handle herself," Rainbow scoffed.

"It still wouldn't hurt to offer her a hoof," Night observed.

"I guess having me around could be a good influence on her," Rainbow proudly smiled before taking off.

"Who's getting married anyway?" Cora asked as the rest started trotting off.

"My brother," Twilight huffed as she trotted off.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Night beamed as she followed with Cora and Crystal next to her.

"Yeah, so wonderful he didn't even bother to tell me about it," Twilight scoffed.

"Isn't your brother the captain of the royal guard?" Cora asked. "Maybe he didn't get the chance to let you know."

"Just get to the castle and everything will be made clear," Crystal offered with a warm smile.

"You and I are gonna have to get together for a talk later," Twilight observed.

"I look forward to sharing some tea with you," Crystal smiled. "In the meantime, I'm sure we all will have no trouble keeping an eye on the library for you."

"Twilight knows she can count on us," Blazing offered from behind the group. "I just wish I could join you all at the wedding."

"And it's not like other ponies won't be willing to help if we need it," Angel added with a warm smile.

"Thank you," Twilight smiled. "All of you. Now, I need to plan a wedding," Twilight said as she continued trotting off, "and give Shining Armo a piece of my mind."

"Don't be too hard on him," Night called after Twilight before looking at Crystal. "Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from us?"

"I'm not," Crystal raised her hooves in the air. "I promise you, I saw an image of all of them at a grand celebration. Celestia requested that I remain here with you during the wedding." Cora grabbed Crystal's shoulder in her claw to look her in the eye.

"If you're keeping anything from us, you'll have me to deal with," Cora growled.

"Calm down, Cora," Blazing urged as he rested a hoof on the griffon's shoulder. "We're all here together. We'll be ready for whatever comes our way."

"A bunch of pegasi with a couple of Muneris and a griffon," Cora observed. "What could go wrong?"

"We all have unique skills, Cora," Crystal smiled. "Blazing is a rare breed of pegasi with elemental powers. Angel's more of a fighter than you'd think. Zuro has a few tricks up his sleeve."

"Night can create things and I'm a griffon, yeah. Strength in numbers, I get it," Cora rolled her eyes. "None of this makes it any easier for me. Aria tynm od!"

"Cora, how many times do I have to tell you to watch your beak?!" Night huffed.

"What'd she say?" Blazing asked.

"Probably best not to repeat it," Zuro answered.

"You speak Arish?" Crystal queried.

"With my family, you tend to pick up a few things, even if it's rare," Zuro answered. "I'm sure you understand why with your ability to see the future."

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, but true," Crystal observed.

"What's Zuro's story?" Cora asked.

"I'll let him tell you when he's ready," Crystal answered.

"Do you know?" Cora looked at Blazing. "You've been friends with him longer than we've known him."

"I never bothered asking," Blazing replied.

"Of course you haven't," Cora sighed.

"Come on, guys," Night piped up. "I want to find out more about this fusion business."

"What do you know about fusion, Night?" Crystal asked as they all trotted toward the library. Night explained everything she learned about the subject from Twilight. By the time she finished, they arrived at the library. "Well, that's just about it," Crystal observed.

"There's gotta be more to it," Night protested.

"Why are you so intent on learning about fusion?" Crystal asked.

"Well, I..."

"Night Wing, you're not considering trying to fuse with Dusk, are you?" Crystal stared Night down as the black pegasus rubbed a hoof on her foreleg.

"Night?!" Cora screeched.

"Night, this is not a path you want to explore," Crystal warned. "The risks are far too great to take any chances."

"But--"

"Night, think about it. You could be lost forever. Everything about you could be erased from existence and all that would be left is Dusk." Crystal stepped forward to look Night in the eye.

"There's no guarantee of that," Night protested.

"Is it worth making it so you'd never see Cora again?" Crystal asked as she pointed a hoof at the griffon. "How do you think she'd feel if she lost you? Or, what if the situation was reversed and she was lost forever? How would you feel without her?"

Night Wing hung her head as she contemplated the thought of losing Cora. She found Cora as an egg and cared for her ever since. Many ponies would think of her as Cora's mother, but she never felt that way about her in her entire life especially after Cora took her out on their first date not too long ago. The chances of never getting that opportunity again welled in her heart. She enjoyed every minute of thinking of Cora as a lover, not just a friend. If that feeling were to vanish, what would she do then? What could she do?

"Okay," Night sighed. "I'll drop it." Cora pulled her into a tight hug.

"If you even think about trying to fuse with Dusk, I'll kill you," Cora growled.

"Okay," Night chuckled. "I promise, you're not gonna lose me."

"Okay, love birds," Blazing chuckled as he approached the Golden Oak Library door. "Until that Dusk character decides to show up, we have nothing to worry about."

The door swung open and Twilight trotted out with Spike on her back and a saddlebag dangling at her side. "Alright, time to go," Twilight said. She stopped short when she noticed the group gathered outside. "Oh, hey guys!"

"I figured you'd have already left," Cora observed.

"Twilight wanted to make sure we had everything we needed before we left," Spike observed.

"Are you sure we got all the quills and scrolls for the checklists?" Twilight asked.

"Check 'lists'? As in multiple lists?" Night raised an eyebrow.

"Twilight, If you keep fussing over everything, we're gonna miss the next train to Canterlot!" Spike urged.

"Right," Twilight shook her head. "You'll all take care of the library, right?" Twilight asked the group.

"We gotcha covered, Twi," Angel smiled at the unicorn.

"Thank you," Twilight beamed. "Alright, off we go!" Twilight trotted off toward the station.

"Ladies first," Blazing offered as he stood to the side with a warm smile on his face. Night, followed by Cora, then Angel, and finally Crystal trotted into the library. When the girls were inside, Zuro trotted in and Blazing followed. "Twilight sure does keep everything organized in here," Blazing observed as he looked around.

"That's Twilight for ya," Angel smiled as she perused the shelves. "Oh! I love this one!" Angel cheered as she pulled out a book to read.

"Remember where you got that from," Night urged. "We promised to take care of the library for Twilight."

"That doesn't mean we can't enjoy a few good stories while we're here," Angel countered as she found a place to sit while she read.

"Well, I'm hungry," Cora observed. "Anyone up for some pizza?" Everyone smiled at the suggestion.

~~)oOo(~~

Night put another book away after reading through its pages. Night took every chance she could get to read books on magic both new and old. She wanted to study everything she could on fusion, but she also had a genuine curiosity about the history of equine magic.

The book Night just put away left a sour taste in her mouth. "That was horrific," Night observed.

"What's that?" Angel asked as she stood next to Night.

"Is that really how rainbows are made?" Night asked as she pointed at the book. Angel looked at the book in question.

"Oh, that's just fiction," Angel hummed. "I'm actually surprised Twilight even has a book like that."

"What book?" Zuro asked as he stepped up. "Oh, yeah," Zuro said as he spotted the book. "There's no way that'll ever happen. That's just some pony's twisted imagination."

"So, rainbows aren't made that way?" Night asked.

"Not a chance," Zuro smiled. "Celestia would never allow it."

"I'd be happy to take you to Cloudsdale so you can see how rainbows are actually made," Blazing offered as he stepped up.

"How can we go to Cloudsdale when Night can't walk on clouds?" Cora asked as she munched on some snacks.

"Twilight could help with that," Blazing smiled. "She knows a spell to make non-pegasi interact with clouds. She used that spell on herself and her friends so they could watch the Best Young Fliers Competition."

"Well, I guess first-hoof experience is better than the books," Night observed as she glanced back at the book she just read. "As long as it's not anything like that."

"Trust me, it's not," Blazing reassured. "If that were the case, we wouldn't know Fluttershy."

"Wait, you talkin' about that 'rainbow' story?" Cora asked as she walked up. "Yeah, she'd be long gone if that story was true."

"Well, that makes sense," Night observed. Cora pecked Night's cheek.

"Let's get your mind off that story," Cora said. Night smiled at the griffon.

"Zuro and I will keep an eye on the library," Angel offered with a warm smile. "You two go enjoy yourselves for a while."

"Thank you, Angel," Night smiled.

Night and Cora went to the door where they found Crystal walking in. "The Cakes have prepared a treat for you two," Crystal smiled as she walked by the couple.

"How did--" Cora began.

"I saw you two at Sugar Cube Corner, so I planned ahead," Crystal smiled. "You two deserve some relaxation with a treat you both can enjoy."

"Thanks," Cora said. "We won't be long." Night and Cora smiled before leaving the library. As they walked through the streets, they saw Blazing Feathers flying laps around the town.

"He's been doing that a lot, lately," Night observed as she watched Blazing make another pass.

"I think he wants to be able to compete with Rainbow Dash," Cora said.

"You think he wants to be a Wonderbolt?" Night asked.

"Maybe," Cora shrugged.

The couple soon arrived at Sugar Cube Corner, where they were warmly greeted by Mrs. Cake. "Hello, dearies!"

"Hi, Mrs. Cake!" Night greeted. "Crystal said you had something for us?"

"Oh, she's such a nice pony," Mrs. Cake observed as she went to pick up a simple yet pretty cake that matched Night and Cora's colors. "We all thought you might like some cake. Help ease your nerves."

"That sounds lovely," Night smiled. Cora took the cake and carried it to a table.

"So, I heard Twilight's brother is getting married in Canterlot Castle," Mrs. Cake said as she walked up and placed a couple of forks on the table for them. "I didn't even know Twilight had a brother."

"We've had the pleasure of meeting him," Night smiled before taking a bite of the cake.

"Oh, have you?" Mrs. Cake smiled.

"He's some captain in the castle," Cora explained.

"Oh! The princess' personal protege and sister to a captain!" Mrs. Cake beamed. "It's a wonder Twilight's not royalty herself!"

"Nah, she's just a bookworm," Cora observed. "She's no monarch."

"But she is a good leader," Night smiled. "She's well organized, takes charge, quite talented with magic."

"Geesh, if you think so highly of her, why don't you marry her?" Cora scoffed before taking a bite of the cake.

"I could, but then I couldn't be with you anymore," Night smiled at Cora, whose cheeks turned red at the thought.

"Maybe you two should get married," Mrs. Cake suggested with a warm smile.

"Oh, no. We couldn't do that," Night said with a bit of a frown.

"Why ever not, dear?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Muneris don't wed others outside their species," Night explained.

"Well, you're not in your home country now," Mrs. Cake stated firmly. "You're in Equestria."

"You ever hear of interspecies relationships?" Cora asked with a raised brow.

"I've made wedding cakes for all kinds of marriages," Mrs. Cake answered. "Earth ponies and unicorns. Pegasi and unicorns."

"What about ponies with other creatures like griffons or dragons?" Cora scoffed.

"I have to admit, those are more rare," Mrs. Cake sighed. "But, the majority of creatures in Equestria are equines. So, finding interspecies relations like yours is less common. But, that doesn't mean you two can't be happy together. And I'd be more than happy to bake the perfect cake for you two."

"That's much appreciated, Mrs. Cake," Night smiled. "We'll keep you in mind if we ever get to that point in our lives." Mrs. Cake smiled at Night before trotting off.

"You really think we could do that?" Cora asked as she watched the black pegasus.

"You know the law as well as I," Night sighed as she stared at the half-eaten cake. "We just can't do it."

"Vex'g ryq!" Cora growled. Night glared at Cora. "No!" Cora snarled. "Don't you tell me to watch my beak! Not this time!" Cora stood up and looked Night directly in the eye. "Night, I love you! I've always loved you. And I don't want that love to become a scar. So please," Cora took Night's hoof into her claws as she looked the pegasus deep in the eye, "... Night Wing... Will you marry me?"

Night stared into Cora's eyes for several long, silent seconds before her eyes started to water. Her lip twitched with a mix of joy and confusion. The laws against interspecies relationships were clear back at home. Friendships were more than okay, especially in a situation like Cora. However, marriages were strictly prohibited. Anyone found guilty of breaking this law would be forever banished from their land and never to return.

After several long seconds, Night Wing cracked a smile as a single tear slid down her cheek. Night opened her lips before a crash came from outside. Night and Cora looked out the window to find Blazing Feathers pulling himself out of a creator in the street. Night got up and rushed outside to help him as Cora followed after her.

"Blazing, are you alright?!" Night asked as Blazing stood up with a groan. Blazing muttered something under his breath as he huffed.

"What?" Cora asked as she used the fluff of her tail to brush the dust off Blazing's shoulders.

"It's him!" Blazing huffed as he looked up. Night and Cora followed Blazing's gaze to find the figure of a dragon carrying an equine in its arm hovering over the town. The dragon slowly descended to the ground, kicking up dirt as he landed. His scales were white and he had black spines down his back. His eyes were red as an apple and he wore a smirk on his face.

The equine dangled in the dragon's arm. When Night took a closer look, she saw the equine was Fire Fly. His body was covered in dust and bruises like he just picked a fight with a bunch of flying rocks. Fire weakly looked up with half-lidded eyes. "Night Wing," Fire groaned. "Run!"

"Now, now, Fire Fly," the dragon smirked. "We don't want things to end too fast now, do we?" Night watched the dragon as a flash of green flames revealed a pony instead. Fire flopped on the ground with a heavy thud.

"Dusk," Cora hissed.

"In the flesh!" Dusk replied with a polite bow of his head.

"I'll go get Twilight!" Blazing huffed as he spread his wings.

"Don't bother," Dusk said. "As we speak, Canterlot Castle is being overrun by changelings!" Night looked toward the castle to find visible smoke rising from the capital. "Your precious elements won't be able to save you here!"

"You won't get away with this!" Cora growled as she lunged at Dusk. The Sinerum quickly shifted to an ursa minor and smacked Cora away. The griffon landed with a hard thug and skidded to a halt next to Night.

"Cora!" Night cried out as she rushed to Cora's side. Cora groaned as she pulled herself up.

"That hurt," Cora groaned as she rubbed the back of her head. Night glared at Dusk, who chuckled.

"What do you want from me?!" Night asked.

"Let me show you what I want," Dusk replied as he stepped toward Fire. Dusk grabbed Fire's cheeks to look him in the eye with an evil grin. Dusk pressed the gem on his forehead against Fire's and a bright light shined from the connection. The light enveloped the two Muneris. Night, Cora, Blazing, and everyone else nearby shielded their eyes however they could, be it with their forehooves or their wings. The light soon faded away and everyone gathered looked to where Dusk and Fire stood only to find a single pony standing there.

The pony stood about as tall as Princess Luna. His coat was white with a faint hint of red shining against the sunlight. A red gem sparkled beneath a long, curved, crystal-like horn atop his head. His black hair sparkled gold and red here and there, almost like fire sparks crackled from his head. He opened his eyes and smiled at Night Wing.

"It's time for a new age," Dusk said in a deep voice. "My age!"

Chapter IX: Dusk

Night Wing took in every detail of Dusk's new form. Everything about this new creature was Dusk. Almost nothing about him resembled Fire Fly. It was like Crystal and Twilight said. In this case, Dusk became the dominant figure of the fusion. Dusk had grown stronger over the past few months. Maybe your strength determined what the results of a fusion would be.

"What's going on?!" Crystal cried out as she ran up with Angel by her side. Crystal stopped when she saw Dusk and her eyes went wide. "Oh no!"

"Who's that?!" Angel asked.

"It's Dusk," Cora answered as she glared at the fusion before them.

"He fused with Fire Fly," Night added.

"And you're next!" Dusk snarled as he stepped closer.

"What?" Night asked as Cora stood between them.

"You're not getting any closer to her!" Cora growled.

"There's nothing you can do to stop me," Dusk chuckled. "Your friend's power will be mine, and the world will belong to me!"

"Why are you doing this?" Night asked.

"Enough talk!" Dusk growled. "Give me your power!" Dusk lunged at Night when Blazing flew down from above, landing a hard kick on the back of Dusk's head and smashing him into the ground.

"Keep your hooves off my friend!" Blazing growled as he kicked off Dusk's head.

"Nice one, Blaze!" Cora cheered.

"We need to get Night out of here!" Crystal cried out as she grabbed Night's shoulder.

"We can't just run from him!" Night protested as Crystal pulled her away from the scuffle between Blazing and Dusk.

"Just go!" Blazing called out. "I'll hold him as long as I can!"

"But--"

"Forget it, Night! Let's go!" Cora yelled as she grabbed Night's shoulders in her claws and flew into the air.

"Not so fast!" In the form of a dragon, Dusk hovered in front of them with a grin. Cora glared at him. "Night Wing's power is mine!" He reached a claw toward Night before Cora lunged and bit his thumb. Dusk flicked his claw to send both Night and Cora flying toward the ground. "You got guts, griffon," Dusk smirked as Night and Cora landed with heavy thuds.

Crystal stood between the couple and Dusk with a glare. "Keep away from her!"

Dusk chuckled as he landed on the ground and shifted back to his new form. "How are you going to stop me?"

"We'll stop you together!" Angel called out as she stood next to Crystal.

"Friends stick together, no matter what!" Blazing added as he stood opposite Angel. Night and Cora stood up behind them.

"A couple of pegasi, an Erisumn, and a griffon against me?" Dusk chuckled. "I have the power of every creature in Equestria. You don't stand a chance!"

"That doesn't matter," Night said as she looked up. Dusk raised an eyebrow at her. "Cora was abandoned as an egg, yet she served a journey to my home. Blazing isn't a normal pegasus, yet he's welcomed in Ponyville like any pony. Zuro has his secrets, yet none of us care." Night narrowed her brow at Dusk. "By all accounts, we all should be on our own. Shunned by the world, yet here we all are. Together. We can stop you, and we will."

"Oh please," Dusk groaned. "There's only one way to get anywhere in life. And that's power." His horn began to glow red like fire. Night glared as her gem ignited a bright blue and a shield appeared before her just as Dusk launched a fireball at her. The flame burst on contact and radiated strong heat around them. Night looked over the shield at Dusk, who smiled at her. "Impressive." Cora glanced over Night's shoulder to glare at Dusk.

Night kicked the shield toward Dusk. Dusk quickly shifted to a yak and smashed his head right into the shield's edge with a hardy "Yach!" The shield smashed into pieces before they faded into nothing just as Blazing flew directly over Dusk's head. Blazing's flaming wings touched Dusk's fur and quickly engulfed him in flame. "Is that all?" Dusk asked as he stood in flames with an annoyed look.

Angel flew in from behind and bucked the back of Dusk's head. Dusk's faceplanted into the dirt with a loud thud just as Cora flew in with an eagle screech. Cora slashed and clawed everything she could reach as she passed over Dusk. The gust of wind from Cora's flyby smothered out the flame and Night came in next. Night generated a large mallet and smashed his head into the dirt.

The group gathered close by and looked at their work. Dusk lay there facedown in the dirt for a few seconds before shifting back to his normal form as he got to his hooves. The group gasped as Dusk casually dusted off some dirt with a smile. "I gotta say, this is so much better than my old life," Dusk observed as he smiled at Night. "It's gonna suck when I finally have your power."

"You're not getting anything from Night!" Cora hissed as she defensively stood in front of Night.

"It's not as funny as the first time you said it," Dusk scoffed as he walked up. "Just give up." Blazing kicked off the ground and flew between Dusk and the group, leaving a tail of fire on the ground. "Fire won't work on me, flame brain." Dusk snorted as he shifted to an ursa and smacked a large paw at the ground, instantly smothering the flames. Dusk looked to find the group gone. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," Dusk sing-songed as he looked around. He spotted the group flying toward Canterlot and chuckled.

Night led the group toward the shielded castle. Blazing carried Crystal on his back. "I'm sorry I'm not a flier like the rest of you," Crystal offered.

"Forget about that!" Cora hissed. "We have to get to Canterlot to warn the others!"

"How are we gonna get passed that shield?" Blazing asked.

"I don't think we'll need to worry about that," Crystal observed as she pointed to the castle. The shield was gone.

"The changelings must've broken through!" Angel observed as she rushed by Night and Cora toward the city.

"Angel, you shouldn't-" Crystal called out in vain. Angel was already out of sight.

"Forget her!" Cora hissed. "We need to get to the castle!"

"Not on my watch!" Dusk's voice boomed through the air. They all looked up to find him in a dragon form just in time for him to tackle Night out of the air and toward the ground.

"Night!" Cora screamed.

Night did not go down without a fight. She swung her forehooves into Dusk's face a few times before she generated anything she could think of to smack him in the head with. Dusk only chucked with every hit. "Dragon scales are the toughest in the world! You can't hurt me like this!"

The sound of an eagle filled the air as Cora flew down. She slashed her claws at Dusk's eyes. Dusk flinched and dropped Night as Cora grabbed her and flew toward the castle. Dusk glared at the griffon just as Blazing flew in and bucked him in the face. "Claws off my friend, pal!" Blazing called as he flew after Cora.

"You're only making this harder on everyone!" Dusk growled as he flew after them.

Cora and Night flew directly to the castle and flew straight through a shattered window into the main grand hall. "Princess Celestia!" Night called out as she and Cora landed. Every guard in the room rushed around the two, pointing their spears at them.

"Halt!" one of the guards barked.

"Waoh, easy there, boys," Cora said as she held her claws up. "We're not the problem here."

"Night? Cora?" Twilight's voice called out. They all looked to find the unicorn walking up with a raised brow. "If that really is you."

"We don't have time for this!" Night cried out just before a roar filled the room. Everyone looked up just as Dusk came crashing through the roof.

"Head's up!" Blazing cried as Dusk threw him to the ground below. Blazing landed with a thud that shattered the floor.

The guards readied themselves as the dragon in the room thrashed at everything that moved. "First the changelings, now a dragon?!" one of the guards complained as he charged Dusk.

Night rushed toward the princesses while Dusk was distracted. "Princess! We need the elements!" Night cried out as Celestia looked at Night.

"Right!" Celestia agreed. "Twilight, the wedding will have to wait! You know what to do!"

"Already on it, princess!" Twilight said as she looked at Night. "Come with us!" Night inclined her head and ran off with Twilight and her friends. Cora followed after Night.

"That Muneris is mine!" Dusk roared as he broke free from the guards poking spears at his feet. Before he could take a step, a group of unicorn guards collectively used magic to pin him down. "Hie viaruz!" Dusk roared before shifting to a griffon and flew around the room, kicking each unicorn he flew by.

"It's a changeling!" a guard cried out.

"How are any of them still here?!"

"It's not a changeling, guys!" Blazing cried out as he flew with his wings ablaze toward Dusk. "It's a Sirenum!" Blazing collided with Dusk and the two kicked and clawed at each other as they fell to the ground.

Celestia kicked off the ground with her horn glowing a bright yellow and a determined glare in her eye. "Every pony, restrain that griffon!" Celestia ordered. Before anything else could happen, Dusk sent blazing flying toward a nearby wall in the form of a yak.

"You can't stop me!" Dusk yelled as he charged through a group of guards after Night and the others.

"Blazing, take charge!" Celestia ordered flying after Dusk.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Blazing said as he shook his head. "Where's Shining Armor?"

"He's sitting this one out," Cadence called out as she walked up. "He needs rest after being under Crysalis's spell."

"Alright," Blazing briefly bowed his head. "Boys, we might not be able to stop Dusk, but we need to hold him off for as long as possible!"

"Yes sir!" the guards barked.

"Let's go!"

The six ponies led Night and Cora through the castle toward a room equally as decorated as the grand hall. They stopped at a large door with a magic lock.

"Right! Where are the elements?!" Cora asked.

"They're here," Twilight answered as she looked at the door.

"Well, get them!" Cora ordered.

"That looks like something only a princess can open," Night observed as she looked at the door.

"Nyngul vez'gul!" Cora cursed. "Then how are Twilight and the others supposed to use the elements?!"

"No elements?!" Dusk smirked as he charged the group. They all jumped out of the way just as he rammed into the door. The whole room shook from the impact. "That makes things much easier!" Dusk chuckled as he looked toward Night. Night conjured a battering ram and lunged at Dusk, who only head-butted it into pieces. "Pathetic!"

"Let's go, ponies!" Applejack yelled as she charged Dusk and bucked him in the rear. Dusk faceplanted into the ground with a loud thud.

"Impressive strength for an earth pony!" Dusk huffed as he shifted to his equine form.

"There's more where that came from!" Applejack smirked.

"Too bad it's not enough!" Dusk growled as he grabbed Applejack and threw her to a wall. Twilight jumped in and fired some magic from her horn at him. The force from her magic pushed him back. "Well, aren't you the powerful unicorn!"

"You got that right!" Rainbow growled as she flew toward Dusk in a streak of rainbow. The pegasus bucked him in the face with enough force to flip him in the air and he landed on his back with a heavy thud. "Don't mess with my friends!"

"Night Wing!" Blazing called out as he and several guards came charging toward Dusk. "Clear the way!" The unicorns created small shields in front of the earth ponies, who held spears at the ready as they charged. The pegasi flew over the group with fierce glares.

Night Wing, Cora, and the others jumped out of the way as the group collided with Dusk. They all went through the wall behind Dusk and fell toward the ground below. "This'll be more fun than I thought!" Dusk chuckled as he grew a set of wings to fly back up. The pegasi charged him.

"He's too strong," Night observed as she watched the group try in vain to apprehend Dusk.

"We need the elements!" Rainbow called out. "Where's the princess?!"

"Right here, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said as she rushed up and used her horn to unlock the door. Within the chamber sat a single purple box lined with gems of every color. Celestia's magic carried the box toward Twilight before it opened. Inside the case was a single crown with a purple star-shaped gem surrounded by five necklaces. Each of the necklaces had a gem in the shape of different marks. A diamond, a butterfly, a lightning bolt, an apple, and a balloon.

"The Elements of Harmony," Night observed. "I never thought they were real, let alone actually being able to see them."

"Guess the party's over!" Dusk called out from the hole in the wall. "Time to get this over with!" He took the form of an octopus and grabbed Night with one of his tentacles.

"Night!" Cora screamed as she lunged at the appendage. Before she could reach him, Dusk yanked Night away and fell out of the hole.

"Let's go girls!" Twilight called out as she put each of the elements on herself and her friends. Once they were all equipped with their respective element, Twilight used her magic to carry them all outside as Cora bolted after Dusk.

As they fell, Night conjured everything she could think of to hit Dusk upside the head with. "Fight all you want! You're never going to stop this!" Dusk growled. Night looked around to find all the guards beaten and bruised all over the place. Dusk shifted to a dragon and flew toward the mountainside.

Dusk landed and shifted back to his equine form before glaring at Night. "Time to end it!" He pulled her closer to press his horn against her gem. Before anything could happen, Cora flew in with such speed, that it sent Dusk falling to his side. Cora flew off with Night in her claws. "Now you're just bozanai me off!" Dusk growled as he shifted to a griffon and flew after her.

Cora flew back toward the castle courtyard where Twilight and the others were waiting. A gust of wind snatched Cora out of the air and Night fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Night shook her head and looked up to find Dusk hovering in place with Cora's throat in his grip.

"Cora!" Night cried.

"This has gone on long enough!" Dusk barked. "Night Wing, surrender yourself now, or the griffon gets it!" Dusk tightened his grip on Cora's throat. Cora gagged and struggled in vain against his grip.

"Let her go!" Blazing huffed as he tried flying toward Dusk. Dusk snorted as he sent Blazing to the ground with a blast of red magic.

"What's it gonna be, Night?" Dusk asked Night. "Your friend, or you?"

"Forget me, Night!" Cora gagged.

"Let her go!" Night barked.

"Surrender, Night," Dusk ordered impatiently. "I'm not gonna say it again."

"Don't listen to him, Night!" Twilight called out. "We have the elements! We can stop him now!"

"Use those rocks and Cora goes!" Dusk snarled. "Any longer and this stand-off will make my claws slip!" He tightened his grip more and Cora's body started to go limp.

"Stop!" Night cried out as tears began to stain her cheeks. "You win! I give!"

"Then get your yza over here!" Dusk ordered.

"Night, no!" Blazing groaned as he struggled to his hooves.

Night walked up to Dusk with her head hanging. Twilight looked at the others with a glare. They all inclined their heads before they gathered in formation. "Try anything and the griffon dies!" Dusk barked as Night got to him. He grabbed her by the neck and dropped Cora. Cora coughed as she hit the ground with a thud. Dusk held Night up with a triumphant look before placing his horn against Night's gem. Their bodies began to glow.

"Now!" Twilight called out. The group of six equines closed their eyes as the elements they wore illuminated brightly. The six levitated in the air. Blazing watched the group in awe. Cora could not tear her eyes from Night as tears dropped from her beak. A bright rainbow shot from the six into the air before arching down toward Dusk and Cora. The air filled with a loud bang of magic. The magic enveloped Night and Dusk in blinding light. Twilight's eyes glowed pure white as the magic of the elements spread across the courtyard and beyond.

It felt like an eternity had passed before the light finally faded away. Twilight and the others groaned as they picked themselves off the ground. "I thought that would be easier to take by now," Rainbow observed as she rubbed a hoof on the back of her head. Blazing picked himself off the grass with all his bruises healed. The surrounding guards also got to their hooves. "Sound off!" one of the guards ordered. All the guards began to call out in response.

Cora rubbed her eyes before looking around in a panic. "Night?!" Blazing and the others looked up at the sound of Cora's voice. On the grass where Dusk and Night were was a bundle of black feathers and fur. "Night!" Cora cried as she rushed up to the bundle.

"Cora, be careful!" Blazing ordered as he rushed up with her.

"Vex'g iva!" Cora snapped as she crouched next to the bundle.

The bundle twitched and began to spread open. A set of black wings that faded to white at the end of each feather stretched out to the sky. The body they belonged to began to spread out and stand up. The creature's hair and tail were a matching white with black streaks. Protruding from her head was a long red, crystal-like horn that curved upward. Her fur was black and silky smooth, which faded to white at the hooves. A tuft of white covered her chest as she stood as tall as Celestia. This creature was an alicorn.

"Night Wing?" Cora asked as she reached a claw up. The alicorn opened her eyes to reveal grey irises with red rings around the pupils.

"Cora?" the alicorn said softly. It was Night Wing's voice that escaped her lips. "Blazing?" she asked as she spotted the yellow pegasus next to Cora. Twilight and the others carefully walked closer with their elements ready. Night looked herself over to find her new form.

"Night, is that you?" Cora asked. The alicorn looked at Cora for a few seconds and smiled.

"It's me, Cora," Night said. "I'm fine."

Chapter X: A New Dawn

Night opened her eyes to find herself in an empty void. There was nothing but white as far as the eye could see. The silence was deafening. "Hello?" Night called out. Not even an echo followed her voice. "Is any pony there?" Night called out again. Nothing.

"What do you expect to find here?"

Night gasped as she whirled around. Standing there with a soft smile on his face was Fire Fly. His body showed no signs of stress or wear. His coat was smooth and red as it was when Night first met him in Canterlot Castle.

"Fire?" Night asked, earning a nod from the Erisumn. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"It's the void between worlds," Fire answered as he stepped forward.

"What do you mean?" Night asked as she looked around.

"This is the end of the road," Fire answered.

"You mean," Night began as she looked at Fire. Fire inclined his head. "But, what about Cora? Blazing? Zuro and the others?" The last thing Night remembered was being face-to-face with Dusk outside of the castle. She gave herself up to him to save Cora's life before a blinding light consumed her.

"They're not here," Fire answered as he began pacing.

"But, if I'm here and they're not, that must mean they're okay, right?" Night asked as she watched Fire pace.

"I don't know, kid," Fire replied as he looked at her. "My mind is foggy, especially after I found Dusk."

Night looked around at the blank void around them. As far as she could tell, she and Fire were the only two here. If this was the place you go before moving on to the next life, where was every pony else? A place like this should be full of others moving on.

"If this is what I think it is," Night began as she looked at Fire, "... why can I see you but no one else?" Fire narrowed his brow at her.

"We're the most recent to come here," he offered a smile. Night furrowed her brow. Something was off about Fire.

"So, what do we do now?" Night asked.

"What else?" Fire asked in reply. "We can either cling to what we left behind, or we can surrender and move on."

Night thought about the words, "Cling to what was left behind". Could that mean becoming some kind of ghost in the real world? Haunting the place they spent the most time? Would that be the wrong choice in this situation? She could stay with Cora for as long as the griffon lived, but what then? When it was Cora's time, would Night be given another opportunity to move on with her? Or would she be trapped in purgatory?

On the other hoof, Fire used the word "Surrender". Surrender what? Why would you need to "surrender" to move on to the next life, if there is such a thing? Why did Fire use that word specifically?

"Take my hoof, Night," Fire said as he extended a hoof to her. Night stared at his hoof for a second before looking at him. "Come on, Night. Take my hoof. Surrender with me." After a few seconds, Night took a step back. "There's nothing for you out there. Just take my hoof." Night continued to back away as she shook her head. Fire grew visibly angry at her actions. "Take my hoof!"

Night could not take the chance of this being true. Cora was still out there and she needed to get back to her, fast. If Night gave up right now, she might never get the chance to be with the griffon she loved her whole life. Cora. The griffon who proposed to Night. The griffon Night wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Night had to get back to Cora.

"Take my hoof!!" Fire growled.

"No!" Night cried out as she turned away. Fire lunged at her with a growl.

~~)oOo(~~

Night sat up as she cried out, "Cora!" Instead of being in that void, Night found herself in a familiar bedroom. The blankets were carefully draped over her body. The curtains were opened enough to show sunlight starting to bleed through the window.

The sound of stomping pulled Night's gaze toward the door at her right just before it swung open to reveal Cora on the other side. "Night?!" Cora huffed as she looked at the mare in the bed.

"Cora?" Night asked softly.

"Oh, thank the stars!" Cora sighed as she rushed in to softly hug Night. Night blinked at the warm embrace she found herself in before smiling and returning the hug.

"What happened?" Night asked as she held her oldest friend close. Cora looked at Night with a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Cora asked.

"I remember being at Canterlot," Night answered as she looked to the window. "Dusk was too powerful for us to stop and-" Night stopped to look at Cora. "He had you. He was going to kill you, so I-" Night stopped to look at her body. Something was different. She felt taller. She reached up with a hoof to feel her forehead. Her gem was where it should be as always, but there was something extra above it. Protruding from her skull toward the roof was a single horn-shaped crystal.

Night moved Cora aside so she could get out of bed and rush to the nearest restroom to look at herself in a mirror. Indeed, she was taller. As tall as Princess Celestia herself. A red horn stood from her head above the blue gem. Her fur was still black. In fact, her fur may be more rich than before. However, her fur faded to white as it trailed down her limbs. A tuft of white over her chest. Her eyes were different too. They were still grey, but with a hint of red shining through.

Cora stepped into view as she watched her friend take in every detail of her new features. Night looked at Cora. "What happened?" Night asked.

"When Dusk tried to fuse with you, Twilight and the others used the elements and you came out looking like this," Cora explained. "Then, you passed out just before Crystal showed up."

"I fused with Dusk?" Night asked as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Night," Cora said as she stepped closer. "Do you feel okay?" Night looked at Cora.

"I feel amazing," Night answered without hesitation. It was the truth. Night never felt better in her entire life. The only thing that bothered her was that dream before waking up.

"No negative thoughts or anything like that?" Cora pressed.

"Well," Night began as she looked at the mirror. "I had a dream of Dusk." Cora watched Night closely. "At least, I think it was Dusk. I was in some void and Fire Fly was there. He said something about that place being the void between worlds or something like that." Night looked at Cora. "He tried to attack me, but I wouldn't let him."

"Crystal said something about this," Cora sighed.

"What did she say?" Night asked as she turned to Cora. It was odd seeing the griffon from above without flying for a change.

"She said something about seeing you and Dusk endlessly fighting from here on out," Cora explained as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "It sounded like I could still lose you."

So, that might not have been a dream Night had, but a visualization of an ongoing war within. Dusk was now a part of her and if he remained as determined now as he was a separate being, Night might have more visions like that in the future. Dusk would keep fighting to take control, and if he won it would be disastrous. Night glanced at the mirror again to see the new alicorn before her. Dusk as the Sirenum was dangerous enough as it was, but if he broke free as an alicorn with all that power? Night had her doubts that even the elements could stop him.

The elements! From what Cora said, the elements were used just as Night fused with Dusk. Maybe their magic had a huge role in determining the outcome of the fusion and maybe their magic lingers within. If remnants of the elements still lingered inside, maybe Night could use that to her advantage in the future.

Night looked at Cora, whose cheeks were stained with her tears. Night softly smiled and pulled Cora into a warm hug. "I'm not going anywhere," Night said. Cora trembled as she leaned into Night's embrace. "Cora, something I didn't tell you about my dream." Night lifted her head to smile into Cora's eyes. "The entire time I was in that void, I thought of you." Cora stared into Night's eyes with tear-stained cheeks. "I knew I had to get back to you somehow, someway. I wasn't gonna leave you behind, and I'm not about to start now. No matter what dark spirit tries to possess my body." Cora choked at Night's words before finally breaking and clinging to Night in a tight hug. Night smiled as she held her friend close. "I promise. I'm never going to leave you."

~~)oOo(~~

Night walked with Cora close beside her outside the house to find everything seemed to be continuing without issue. The ponies went on with their daily lives running their shops or hanging out with their friends. Night smiled at everyone around them as she walked into the streets with Cora close beside her. The ponies began to take notice of the new alicorn in their humble town and politely bowed their heads.

"Hey!"

Night looked up to find Rainbow Dash landing sharply in front of them. "It's about time you woke up!"

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," Night warmly greeted.

"Love the new look, Night!" Rainbow chimed as she admired the Muneris. "Guess you're a princess now, huh?" Dash smiled up at Night.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Crystal's voice filled the air and the group looked at the Sirenum as she walked up.

"Crystal," Night smiled. "You're okay!"

"Never mind about me, darling," Crystal raised a hoof at Night. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"I feel great," Night answered. "Better than ever."

"No feelings of anger, hatred, or maybe something like greed and lust?" Crystal pressed.

"I had a dream about Fire Fly trying to convince me to surrender to the next life, or something like that," Night answered. Crystal watched intently. "When I refused, he got angry and tried to attack me. That's when I woke up."

"The next life?" Crystal asked. Night inclined her head. "And what made you refuse that? Legends of the next life would entice anyone."

"I couldn't leave Cora behind," Night answered sternly as she looked at the griffon. "This griffon has been by my side for most of my life and I couldn't in good conscience leave her behind for any reason."

"Your love of your best friend kept you from giving into temptation?" Crystal observed.

"Friendship is magic."

They all looked to find Twilight walking up with a smile. Night smiled at the lavender unicorn and bowed her head politely.

"Good to see you again, Twilight," Night greeted.

"I'm just glad to see you're okay," Twilight replied. "Spike's the only one I know who'd take a three-week-long nap." Night blinked at Twilight's words.

"Three weeks?" Night asked Cora, who inclined her head.

"Cora never left your side," Rainbow explained. "Ya gotta admire her loyalty."

"I'll say," Applejack walked up. "After ya fused with that Dusk character, y'all collapsed."

"We all rushed up to help, but Cora was insistent," Rarity added as she walked up with a smile.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walked up with smiles on their faces. Night looked between them all with a warm smile before she noticed a few missing faces. "Where's Blazing, Zuro, and Angel?" Night asked.

"Stripes has been making regular visits to the Everfree ever since we got back from Canterlot after the wedding," Rainbow Dash answered.

"Angel has been locked in her house," Fluttershy meekly added. "We've tried to talk to her, but she's upset about Zuro."

"What happened to Zuro?" Night asked as her heart sank. Was Zuro a casualty in the events?

"He was seen using changeling magic at Canterlot," Twilight answered. "He's standing trial for being a changeling."

"Standing trial?" Night asked. "But, he's our friend."

"If the guy was a changeling the whole time, he might've been spying on us!" Rainbow huffed.

"But, um... he was so nice," Fluttershy observed.

"Crystal, do you see him getting out of this okay?" Night asked. Crystal closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"I see a happy family in a house of black and green," Crystal began. "A husband, wife, and child. The husband has his family with him, especially a younger sibling."

"Wait! You mean that creep's coming back with a whole family?!" Rainbow hovered above them all.

"Rainbow, Zuro ain't no creep?" Applejack huffed.

"He's a changeling!" Rainbow countered.

"Suspected changeling," Twilight interjected. "That doesn't make him one."

"I'm going to give him my support," Night stated as she turned to the north.

"There's no need for that, Night," Crystal stated. Night looked at Crystal. "Besides, you only just woke up and you should take things easy for a while."

"But--"

"I agree with Crystal," Twilight chimed in. "After everything that happened, I think we all should take it easy for a while."

"Night," Cora said as she rested a claw on Night's foreleg. Night looked at the griffon, who only looked at her with concern. "Please, don't push yourself." Night smiled at Cora.

"Okay," Night said as she embraced the griffon.

"Hey! We should throw a party for you!" Pinkie piped up as she bounced in place. "A happy-engagement-before-becoming-an-alicorn-and-waking-up party!" Pinkie pulled out a cannon out of her tail before setting it off. An explosion of confetti filled the air and rained down on everyone.

"That's quite the mouthful, Pinkie," Rainbow groaned before blinking. "Wait, engagement?" Rainbow looked at Night and Cora.

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie bounced. "Cora and Night are getting married!"

"Oh, how wonderful!" Twilight beamed.

"Well, Cora did propose," Night said as she lifted her head. Cora watched Night with a single tear staining her cheek. "But, there are laws against interspecies marriage," Night frowned.

"Not in Equestria," Twilight said as she scratched her chin with a hoof.

"Night Wing, if I may," Crystal chimed in. They all looked at the Sirenum. "The laws apply to residents of the Muneris homeland. You've been a resident of Equestria for quite some time, and you're no longer a Muneris." Night looked to the horizon to the east, where Celestia's son shined.

"I think a marriage is a wonderful idea."

Everyone looked up to find Princess Celestia landing on the grass with a warm smile. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight and her friends bowed their heads.

"Your Highness," Night offered as she politely bowed her head.

"There's no need for formalities now, Night," Celestia offered after hugging her student. "We are equals."

"With all due respect, I disagree," Night replied as she raised her head.

"You are an alicorn now, are you not?" Celestia asked as she met Night's gaze at eye level. Night Wing was as tall as Celestia now. Looking the princess in the eye was less of a strain on her neck. Night looked herself over to find the new patches of white on her hooves and chest and she could not help but notice the horn coming from her skull.

"Am I an alicorn?" Night asked.

"You got the wings and the horn, so that makes you an alicorn in my book," Rainbow observed as she hovered around Night.

"Perhaps you are an yroxilm?" Cyrstal piped up. "It's Arish for alicorn."

"Ain't that a bit redundant?" Applejack asked. "Callin' her an alicorn in fancy is still callin' her an alicorn, ain't it?"

"Vezut," Cora piped up. They all looked at Cora, whose cheeks were pink as she looked at the ground.

"Um, what's vay-zoot?" Fluttershy softly asked.

"It means 'the fused'," Night answered with a warm smile.

"Night Wing Vezut," Celestia beamed. "I like it." Celestia bowed her head. "Let me be the first to welcome you to Equestria, Night Wing Vesut." The other ponies followed suit and bowed their heads at Night Wing. Crystal smiled at Night before bowing her head too. Night looked at Cora, who took a few steps back and bowed her head until her beak touched the grass.

"Cora, no," Night said as she pulled her friend off the ground. Cora looked at Night Wing. "I would never ask you to bow to me like that."

"But--"

"No," Night interjected sharply. "Not my friend."

"But--"

"Not my lover."

Cora blinked as she looked Night in the eye. They stared into each other's eyes for several long seconds while the group smiled at them.

"Does this mean, you will marry her, Night?" Celestia asked.

"Di jura qong ryqus," Night said. Cora's eyes welled up as she stared into Night's.

"What the hey does that mean?" Rainbow asked with a raised brow.

"To put it lightly, it means that Night Wing doesn't care about the rules," Crystal said with a warm smile.

"Wedding party!" Pinkie screamed out as she swung on a swing hanging from nowhere while flinging party confetti everywhere.

Ignoring the party pony, Cora took Night in a tight embrace. Night smiled as she wrapped her forelegs and wings around the griffon.

"Well, in that case, I would be honored to host the ceremony," Celestia offered as she stepped forward. "I'll begin preparations immediately."

"We can take things slowly, Celestia," Night countered as she let Cora go. Celestia smiled at the use of her name without her title.

"May I suggest some propper accommodations?" Twilight offered as she stepped up. "A humble home in Ponyville doesn't seem appropriate for you now."

"Nonsense," Night retorted. "I'm not royalty."

"You might as well be," Cora stated. "All alicorns are royalty."

"Princess of what?" Night asked. "I have no land of my own. No country to rule."

"That could change with time, Night," Crystal offered as she stepped forward. "This could be the beginning of a new dawn. One where all the Muneris are united again. With you guiding us all to a brighter future." Crystal bowed her head.

"But, I don't want to be a monarch," Night countered.

"Those who seek power are least deserving of it," Celestia said. Night looked at the alicorn. "Those who deserve it don't seek it. You have demonstrated how you are willing to put others before yourself and now you are stronger because of it. I can think of no one better suited to guide your equines to unity." Night looked at the ground. "It is unlikely you will undertake this task alone. Cora has already pledged to be at your side from now on. My sister and I will be more than happy to help in any way we can."

Night looked at the others, who all smiled at her. Could she possibly ever go back to her old life now? She was a new breed of equine separate from the Equestrians and any of the Muneris races. Night looked at Cora, who inclined her head with the same determination as before only with a hint of pride and joy in her face. Night knew she could always count on Cora. Even now, after all that has happened, Cora would still be there.

"Alright," Night said to Celestia. "If this is what I'm meant to do, then I will do it."

Author's Note

I'm calling this chapter of Night Wing's story complete. Until I come up with some more for her story, that's it for now.

Thank you for your interest in reading.