Music of the Night

Chapters

A Mysterious Visitor
Party Plans
Jumpy
Knock!
A Perilous Journey
Everfree Castle
Friendly Chatter
A Garden of Nightmares.
Memories
Days Long Gone.
A Bridge Encounter
Treating the Wounds
Scouting Ahead
A Shady Type of Magic
Library of the Moon Sister
Friendship
The Order's Temple
Open Doors
Wonders and Horrors

A Mysterious Visitor

The night was quiet, as always. Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s favorite- and only- faithful student was hard at work, the only indication that she was even aware of her surroundings being the candles she kept adjusting so that the hot wax would not drop on her precious books. Outside her library, the quiet town of Ponyville was fast asleep. All were sleeping, dreaming of… Whatever it is they wished to dream of! (What, you expected me to tell you? Dreams are private!)

All, that is, except for a pale white pony with a carefully styled purple mane. Rarity was hard at work in her boutique, making one of the most important dresses she’d ever make. Princess Luna’s birthday was still weeks away, and Rarity had been picked by Princess Celestia herself to make the Lunar Princess's dress. The fashionista had started early, however, anticipating an influx of orders the closer the big day came.

Of course, this was all being kept from Pinkie Pie, as someone else had been commissioned to the party, so that Princess Luna could enjoy her first year back home with a party that was more… Mature, than the parties Pinkie planned.

Twilight Sparkle had also been invited, and was ecstatic. Rarity had already made her dress, a stunning after-sunset purple with sapphires set into the hem to represent stars. She was studying up on the kind of party that Princess Celestia wanted: a formal party, with music and dancing and drinking.

Twilight had never been to such a party, having turned down invitations to such events since she had been old enough to attend them. She told everyone it was because she ‘scoffed at drinking, finding it disgusting’. In truth, she was more worried about what happened AFTER you drank. She had heard the stories, waking up to find yourself asleep with somepony whose name you couldn’t even remember, waking with a terrible headache, waking up to find yourself in some alley somewhere, with all of you belongings stolen, and other, more gruesome stories that she never liked thinking about.

******************

In Canterlot, Princess Luna sat on her throne. She was deep in thought over her upcoming party, and therefore, when the guard came before her, it took him some time to snap her out of her stupor.

“A unicorn here to see you, Princess.” The bat winged guard said, saluting.

“Who could be visiting us at this time of night?” Princess Luna wondered to herself as a black unicorn with a dark red mane and black traveling cloak was ushered in.

He bowed before the throne. “Your Highness, I have heard of the upcoming celebration of your birthday, and have come to offer you my musical talent.”

Princess Luna looked curiously at the unicorn. “Very well. Where is your instrument?”

“If it pleases Your Majesty, I will demonstrate my art on the instrument that sits, forlorn and forgotten in the corner of the chamber.”

Princess Luna was stunned. The last time anypony had used the old piano that sat gathering dust in the corner of the room had been on her last visit to this castle before becoming Nightmare Moon. The royal musician had played a lively tune, and the castle had been alive with merriment. There had been much drinking and reveling, and her sister had looked so beautiful that no pony had ever paid attention to her. Around midnight, she had slipped away, out the door with some stallion who had been too drunk to notice whom he had taken home. After a night of sex, she had slipped out his back door while he slept, flown back to Everfree Castle, and had lowered the moon. She had spent the rest of the day brooding….

Luna snapped back from the thought. Remembering that only brought her pain now. She returned her gaze to the unicorn in front of her, who was studying her with a look of curiosity on his face. She motioned for him to go ahead, and his horn lit with magic as he pulled the piano into the center of the room, the ancient wheels on the bottom not making a sound, the piano having been so well kept over the past millennia.The unicorn sat on the bench, adjusting the seat, then adjusting his cloak for several minutes before giving up on the thing and removing it.

“Does your Highness have any requests?” The unicorn sat, his hooves poised over the keys, his large brown eyes staring at the Princess.

Luna thought for a moment, then pointed to the sheet of music on the piano. “That one. I know it all too well.”

The unicorn smiled knowingly as he glanced over the music. “As you wish.” His horn lit up with a dark red magic, and the Lunar Princess felt a moment of deja vu. A violin and triangle came to life from the same corner of the room, where they had been stored so many years ago, forgotten by all but the Princess who had had them kept.

The unicorn smiled once more at Princess Luna, and before she knew what was happening, he began to play.

The slow, drifting melody seemed to entrance the alicorn as she listened, the music casting a powerful spell over her body. She began to sway to the music, humming along to the slow tune.

The unicorn smiled as he played, watching the alicorn as she danced to the music. His hooves danced over the keyboard, as the violin played and the triangle sang out with each strike.

Suddenly, they were no longer in the throne room. Or rather, not in the throne room they had been in. Luna looked around, seeing the night she had been remembering only moments before.

The same unicorn that had been playing still played, but now, instead of just the violin and triangle, there were the images of the mare and stallion who had played them a millennia before. The room was filled with the high class, aristocratic ponies that had been there that night. The decorations were the same…and there was the group of ponies that always gathered around her sister...

Luna shook her head, and suddenly, the images were no more. Just memories….

“That is enough. I shall have you play at my royal party. Where can you be reached?”

The unicorn shrugged. “I have just come into town, your Highness. I came here first, lest the position already be filled before I arrived. I was going to go and look for a motel right after.”

Luna was already shaking her head. “You shall stay here, then. Guard!”

Her guard burst in, weapon drawn. “Yes, Princess?”

“Take our guest to one of the guest suites and ensure that he has what he needs. He shall be staying with us until further notice.”

The guard bowed. “Yes, Princess.” He turned to the unicorn and motioned for him to follow.

“Wait!” Luna called out to the musician before he left. His head popped back into the doorway. “You never did tell me your name.”

The unicorn seemed to hesitate for a moment, before adjust the cloak that had accompanied him, almost like a signature, through the entire episode. “Sean. Sean P. O’Farrel, Princess. And might I just say…Thank you.”

With that, he turned, his cloak seeming to cling to him despite the universal laws that forbade them from doing so, and the throne room doors slammed shut, leaving the Princess of the Night alone once more.

Party Plans

Celestia was walking down the corridor, muttering to herself. “…and then we must order the cake, and have it iced CORRECTLY this time (she still had no idea how the last one had wound up saying ‘Lily’ instead of ‘Luna’), then we must-“

The sound of smooth jazz winding faintly through the corridor stopped her. She could discern a few instruments being played: there was the saxophone, with its slow, melodious sound, the occasional piano, and a few other instruments she could not identify.

Celestia lost herself in the music for a moment. The last few days had been hectic, and it had become easy enough for her mind to wander. The music took her back to the days when she had stayed in New Foaleans for Marde Gras. There had been a smooth jazz club there, and she had spent hours there, drinking, wandering, and having a good time. Of course, all good things have to end. By the end of the month, there had been a scandal: Someone had seen her walking out of the club with one of the musicians. Of course, this may have been nothing, had she not been ‘…so intoxicated that she could barely walk, and had to lean on the stallion’s shoulder just to be able to stand.’

Celestia cut off the memory before it could go any further. The pony in question had ended up being exiled by Princess Luna, and the scandal had been the talk of the kingdom for MONTHS. Finally, something new had happened (Celestia couldn’t remember what), and the whole incident had been forgotten.

Celestia rushed down the corridor, eager to find the source of the music. She followed the fading notes, finally finding her way to a small black door in the Lunar wing of the castle. She raised her hoof to knock, then shook her head.

Instead, she quietly opened the door, slipping inside without a sound. The room was rather large, leading Celestia to believe this ‘guest’ was one of the more favored of her sister’s. The only light came from a single candle on a writing desk on the far side of the room. A large double bed was pressed against the wall, the curtains drawn. A large carpet, red and black (Celestia struggled to remember what those colors stood for. She would have to research it later) sat in front of a large fireplace, two chairs pulled in front of it. Several instruments littered the floor, and a large black piano sat against the far wall. A double set of doors led out onto a balcony, where a telescope had been erected, though it looked unused. A few books had been placed in a small cubby on top of the desk, and one sat open on the left hoof side. In the middle of this organized chaos, sitting at the piano bench and staring off into space, sat a unicorn with a red mane and deep, chocolate brown eyes. A black cloak covered the rest of his body, the strings on the front drawn so tight that the hood was almost flattened against the unicorn's neck.

She crept up behind the unicorn, who seemed to be talking to himself. “…Princess Luna has done me a great honor to allow me to stay here and play for her birthday-“at this, Celestia frowned. Her sister had not mentioned anything about finding a musician to play for the party-“I really must make her a gift to show her my thanks…”

At this, the unicorn stood and walked over to the desk, Celestia following him, careful not to step on the hem of the cloak. The unicorn was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice the large alicorn behind him, humming a tune absently as he thought.

"Now, let me see… Should I get her flowers? No, no, no, flowers scream romance, don’t they?” The unicorn muttered under his breath, levitating a quill, ink bottle, and paper to sit before him. As he talked, the quill wrote on the paper

Bouquet of flowers- too romantic?

At this, Celestia spoke up,” I believe flowers might be a nice touch, though, to whatever gift you give her.”

The unicorn slowly began nodding as he thought this over. “Yes, yes…. That’s perfect!” he smiled, as though congratulating himself on thinking of it, still apparently unaware that someone was standing behind him. Then he frowned. “But what gift shall they accompany?” Then he grinned. “Aha! A crystal!...But wait, the Princess probably already has many of those…Aha!” He furiously began drawing on the paper. “A crystal statue! Of the moon itself! Of course, that may take some time…And a LOT of magic…”

Celestia shook her head. “Of course, the moon might remind her of her imprisonment of a thousand years…”

The unicorn stopped and stared directly ahead for a moment. “…Of course…There IS that…” Then inspiration seemed to strike once more. “But a statue of her old castle in the Everfree Forest would surely bring back happy memories!”

“Except that was where she first became, and last was, Nightmare Moon…” Celestia said, facehoofing. The unicorn’s face fell once more.

But, as all good ideas, this one wasn't giving up without a fight. The unicorn’s eyes lit up, and he began furiously scribbling on the paper, hunched over to where Princess Celestia could no longer see it.

“Aha! I’ve got it!” The stallion turned around, paper in hoof, only to find Celestia staring at him in amusement. He immediately let out a loud, shrill scream that echoed throughout the castle and shattered a few nearby windows before finally fainting, the paper falling from his hands to land at the princess’s hooves.

Celestia began laughing, and did not stop until the guards arrived to find out what had happened. When the princess explained the situation to them, even the normally stone-faced guards were unable to keep a grin from escaping onto their faces.

As the guards picked up the stallion’s body and carted him off to the infirmary, his cloak somehow managing to cling to him despite all their efforts, Princess Celestia looked to the paper at her feet. Using her magic to lift it, she glanced over it once before nodding in approval. She followed behind the guards, leaving the drawing on the desk with a note apologizing for her unannounced arrival and the resulting panic attack.
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“Twilight, darling, you simply must calm down!” Rarity said to her friend as they walked to Rarity’s favorite relaxation spot: the spa.

“But Rarity, what if I get so drunk that I can’t walk straight?! What if I make a fool of myself in front of the princess?! What if…” The list went on and on.

Rarity could only roll her eyes and laugh. “Twilight, dear, don’t worry! I’ll be there with you the entire time! With me watching out for you, you have nothing to fear!"

“But Rarity, what if you get distracted? Maybe I shouldn’t go. I’ll just pretend to be sick and stay in bed all night…Yeah, yeah, that’s what I’ll do!” Twilight grinned, her hair starting to become disheveled.

A look of worry crossed Rarity’s face. “Twilight, darling, you simply must calm down! Besides, do you really believe it is wise to lie to the princesses? Celestia may be kind and forgiving, but Luna…”

Rarity still held a profound dislike of the Lunar Princess, for some reason. Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony had long wondered about this, and had openly asked Rarity on several occasions, only for her to wave off the question and move on to a different topic, or leave altogether. They had long since stopped asking her, as Rarity had threatened to move to Canterlot and stop being a part of the group.

They arrived at the spa, Twilight still worrying and babbling to Rarity, and Rarity still trying to calm her fears. Finally, as they settled into the message tables, Rarity suggested, “Why not try asking Applejack about how to control yourself in these situations? She’s had more experience than I have, and I’m sure she’d be more than willing to help.”

As she thought this over, Twilight decided it was the best course of action, and allowed herself to sink into the bliss of Aloe’s hooves as they traveled across her back.

Jumpy

“Sean P. O’Farrel? Quite an interesting-and rather unusual- name.” Princess Celestia’s voice was soft, so as to not disturb the others resting in the infirmary.

Still, it was enough to make the unicorn lying in the bed in front of her jump, landing back on the bed heavily panting and visibly shaken. “P-Princess C-Celestia! Oh my, how… unexpected!”

The princess smiled at the stallion, noting that, oddly, the stallion's cloak had been left on. She made a mental note to talk to the nurse about it late. “I felt that, since it was I who put you in this room; it would be only right for me to make sure you were quite comfortable during your stay, which, as the nurse kindly informed me, should only be the rest of the night.”

Sean grinned, having visibly recovered from his earlier shock. “Well, I guess I brought it upon myself. I’m usually more alert, but I guess, being in a castle, with royalty, I felt safe. Of course, I probably am safe…” his grin widened,” unless my attacker is a princess.”

They both shared a quiet laugh, after which, a comfortable silence enveloped the room. Sean shifted so he could look the princess in the eyes, letting the silence drag on for a moment as he thought about his next question.

“Did you like the gift I have planned? I know you saw it. You were standing behind me the entire time!”

The princess smiled. “I think it’s lovely. Though I don’t know how you’ll ever get a clear view of what Everfree castle used to look like, much less the city.”

The unicorn smiled mysteriously. “I have my ways, princess. Thank you for your concern, though. As for my name, however...." The black-coated unicorn suddenly seemed a bit nervous, and, for a moment, Princess Celestia thought the stallion would refuse to finish his explanation. Finally, however, he seemed to relax, and leaned forward, lowering his voice even further. "I picked it up during my travels. Some ancient ruins in Saddle Arabia contained several fascinating books, a few of which happened to be fairy tales from a long-dead race. Sean P. O'Farrel was one of the names, and I liked it so much I decided to try it out. After all, Nightsong Redtail sounds so....," he paused a moment, "...unoriginal."

"Yes. Pony names have become a bit repetitive after so many millennia. Still, yours seems rather...familiar.... It is no matter. However, I should prefer that you use your real name from now on, as the other one may be... confusing for some."

"Very well, Your Grace." And with that, the two moved on to talk of the distant lands they had both visited at one time or another, sharing experiences and lessons that were timeless in the face of time.

An hour later, the nurse came in to find the two chatting comfortably. “Princess? Visiting hours are over. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Bowing, the nurse backed out of the room.

The princess stood, smiling down at the black-coated stallion. “Well. This visit has certainly been informative. I hope you enjoy being here at the castle.” Leaning closer, Celestia whispered, “Between you and me, my sister enjoys jazz as well as classical. Keep that in mind.”

With that, the princess walked out of the room, leaving Nightsong to rest.
***************************************************************************************************************************************

“Applejack!” Twilight’s voice rang out over Sweet Apple Acres.

The mare in question had been about to buck an apple tree. The unexpected interruption caused her kick to miss, sending her crashing into the tree. She managed to pick her head up before a mountain of apples fell on her. She dug her way out, only to be knocked out by the last apple falling from the tree.

“Applejack!” Twilight walked over, helping the fallen earth pony to her feet. “You really should be more careful.”

The glare the lavender unicorn received from making this statement was short-lived, before both mares burst into laughter.

“What can Ah do fer yah, Twi?” Applejack asked as she set about cleaning the mess that her startled kick had created. The apples had scattered on impact, so it took some work gathering them together, but she was never far from her friend as she talked.

“Well, Applejack, I’ve got a sort of problem. You know we’ve been invited to Princess Luna’s birthday party, and that there’s going to be… D-d-drinking….” Twilight had trouble getting the word out of her mouth. To actually say it was to admit that it was a problem that her books couldn’t solve, and to her, that was blasphemous. To admit it to Rarity hadn’t been easy, but Rarity knew the values of being well read. While Applejack enjoyed reading, she considered it to be a waste of time that could be spent working, and, while she wouldn’t admit it, Twilight knew that Applejack considered the lavender unicorn’s constant reading a testament to her laziness. She had been surprised by Twilight’s entry in the Running of the Leaves, and the subsequent win, but still thought Twilight had too much time on her hands to be healthy. And, if she heard Twilight admit that her books didn’t have all the answers…. It didn’t bear thinking about.

“Yeah?” Applejack turned to her friend, raising her brow. The uncertainty and hesitation in Twilight’s voice had alerted her that something was wrong and that she was afraid to admit it.

“Well… I-I… I’m nervous about it.” Twilight almost whispered. As it was, Applejack still had to strain to hear what the lavender unicorn had said.

“Nervous? About what, sugahcube?” Applejack looked confused.

Twilight began to pace as she told Applejack about her problem, going on about how she had been taught the dangers of drinking since before Celestia had taken the unicorn on as her apprentice, going into detail about how a guardsman had come in and told the class she had been in about arresting those who had delved too deeply into the drink, and not being able to save others who had fallen off the side of the city.

Applejack shook her head. “Twi, Ah don’t reckon I rightly know more about drinkin’ than the next mare, but what Ah can tell yah is that we’ll all be there fer yah iffin’ yah do get a little carried away…Well, all of us except Pinkie. So tain’t nothin’ ta worry ‘bout.”

Twilight stopped pacing and turned as Applejack caught her in a friendly hug. “Thanks, Applejack. I knew I could count on you to have an answer.”

With that, Twilight trotted off, leaving Applejack to finish harvesting apples.
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“Princess Celestia! There is a visitor for you! One Nightsong Redtail. He says he has questions which only you could answer.”

The Princess of the Sun jumped at the unexpected voice, startling her from her deep thought. It had been a few days since she had last visited the unicorn in the infirmary, and she had been puzzling over him for the past few days. “Allow him to enter,” she called to her guards, “and have a somepony bring us some red wine.”

As soon as she said it, the guards sprang into action, opening the door to allow the red-maned unicorn into the throne room, his signature cloak trailing behind him. After that, one stopped a passing servant, repeating the Princess’s request to him before sending him scurrying off to fetch it.

Celestia wondered for a moment what enchantments the unicorn had placed on what seemed to be his favored peice of clothing. From what the nurse had told her, even the more powerful magics of the doctors that had looked after the red-maned stallion had been unable to shift the cloak, and any tool they had attempted to use on it seemed to simply pass staight through the strange material. She quickly dismissed such wonderings for another time, however, and she watched as the staillion in question
trotted silently across the floor to sit before her throne, staring directly at her, not blinking, not moving. She had only seen this action done twice before, once by her own student… And once, long ago, from somepony she could barely remember.

“Princess Celestia, I have come to ask your permission to enter the Everfree Forest and examine the ruins of Castle Everfree. I have need of a guide, as well, and wish for your recommendation. I feel that I will be adequately able to protect myself, and therefore have no need of an armed escort.” Nightsong’s voice never faltered, and his eyes never left hers.

After a moment of silence, the door to the throne room opened, and a tray with two glasses and a bottle of red wine was carried in by a white-maned servant. Celestia dismissed him with a smile, waving off offers of food.

“You certainly do not waste time with meaningless drivel, do you?” Celestia asked with a small frown. She poured the red liquid from the bottle with her magic, then floated one of the glasses over to the unicorn who sat before her, sipping her own as he removed the drink from her magic with his own, blood red aura.

“There would be no point in it. I do not have much time as it is. I have no time to mince words.” The dark unicorn sipped from the glass, his gaze never faltering from Celestia’s own. The ivory alicorn couldn’t help but feel that she was examinee as well as the examiner.

The Princess of the Sun smiled. “You have spoken the truth there. As for a guide, I have a pony in mind….
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Later, as he waited on the train outbound from Canterlot, the unicorn reflected on the meeting. “ Well, that went…. Better than expected, considering I expected her to blast me out of existence at any moment.”

He checked his watch as the train pulled in, adjusting his cloak as the door to his car slid slowly to a stop directly before him, then boarded it, even as the conductor shouted, “Outbound train for Ponyville! All aboard!”

Author's Note

Whew, this chapter took awhile. Well, here it is! Gee, I wonder what happens next!

Sorry to keep you all waiting, I've been busy.

I'm looking for a new editor for my stories. PM me to apply.

Um.... Until next time, I suppose?

Knock!

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Twilight mumbled in her sleep, “Spike, could you get that?” She turned over, pulling the covers over her head.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Twilight’s eyes flew open. The moon was high in the sky outside; telling her it was at least 12:00 at night. Spike wasn’t in his bed by the stairs, and she remembered that he had stayed at Rarity’s that night after a long day of gem hunting. Twilight groaned, dragging herself out of bed.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“I’m coming!” Twilight called out. She stretched, getting the kinks out of her back, before walking to the stairs.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“I said I’m-!” It was at this moment that Twilight’s hooves decided to stop cooperating. One hoof went forward, while another stayed put, tripping her up. With a cry, she fell down the stairs, a loud thud accompanying her arrival at the bottom. With a groan, she forced herself to stand, wobbling a little and checked herself to make sure nothing had been seriously damaged in her fall. Satisfied that she had suffered nothing worse than a few bruises (She had long ago enchanted the stairs to prevent severe injury, after a similar incident had occurred in her investigation into the Pinkie Sense, when she had fallen into the new Apple family cellar, resulting in both her front hooves being broken.)

She walked to the door, which had been oddly silent over the past few moments. She opened it just in time for a black-and-red blur to rush past, crashing into a bookcase. The books on said bookcase shook from the impact, seem to hang in the air for a moment, as though contemplating whether to fall or not, then, seeming to have come to a conclusion, fell onto the body laying dazed on the floor, covering it in a pile of books.

Twilight stood, stunned for a moment, then rushed over. “Ohmygoshohmygoshmohmygosh-areyoualrighthereletmehelpyouupwhatwereyouthinkingI-“she stopped mid-sentence when she heard a groan from under the pile. She hurriedly picked up the pile with her telekinesis, floating them around the room, subconsciously organizing them and putting them back as they had been before they had taken an impromptu vacation from their original places.

The unicorn, she now saw, groaned and sat up. “That’s the last time I try that…” he muttered, before turning to look her in the eye. He grinned sheepishly,” Sorry, I thought you were in trouble. I heard a loud thud, and I’ve heard that you’re usually up past now, so when no one answered…”
`

Twilight held up a hoof, “I understand that. What I DON’T understand is why you were knocking on my door at twelve o’clock at night!”

The unicorn look confused for a moment, then smiled. “Ah, yes, I suppose that WOULD be the first question I asked somepony. And it’s two-thirty a.m., not twelve.”

Twilight wondered how the unicorn could know something like that without a clock nearby to tell him, but quickly dismissed it in light of having more pressing questions.

"Oh, but where are my manners? I-“ at this, a hat appeared on top of the unicorn’s head, which he then pulled off as he bowed, “am Royal Night Court Musician Nightsong Redtail.”

Twilight giggled at Nightsong’s antics. She held out her hoof, which he took and kissed, as though this were a fairy tale, and not reality. She smiled, “I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s Faithful Student, and Librarian at Golden Oak’s Library. Pleased to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” The unicorn stood once more, grinning, as the top hat vanished. “So you are the famous Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia spoke highly of you.” He frowned as he looked around the library. “I had expected to meet with another pony first, though. Your assistant, Spike. I was told he always answers the door?”

Twilight giggled again,”Spike is a baby dragon, and he’s not here at the moment. He had to help another of my friends, Rarity, gather gems for a new dress.” As she spoke, she studied her strange, late night visitor. He had a black cloak on, fastened at the front by a silver crescent moon. His coat (or what she could see of it) was black, and he had a red mane. She had, at first, thought his eyes were brown, but, on closer inspection, discovered they were of the deepest red she had ever seen. He gave off an aura of power, not nearly as much as hers, but enough to make her suspect this pony was no mere musician.

Nightsong raised his eyebrow. “A baby dragon? My, my, what….interesting company you keep, Ms. Sparkle.” His face became serious. “I was told by Princess Celestia herself that you could help me. I seek a guide to Castle Everfree, and was told that you and your friends would be my best option to get there safely.”

It was Twilight’s turn to raise a brow at the unicorn stallion. “Everfree Castle? That’s a dangerous place to go. I can’t imagine why anypony would want to go there.” That wasn’t necessarily true. She had been back several times after the Nightmare Moon incident, seeking to learn more about the place. Each time, however, she had had to cut her visits short. The castle reeked of evil magic, and she had been unable to bear it very long. She had eventually stopped going.

“I am prepared to pay well.” His horn lit up with a blood red glow. From under his cloak floated a large bag of bits. He floated it over to her desk, setting it down gently so as to not disturb anything on it. “5,000 bits even.”

Twilight was surprised, but managed to hide it before it showed. “That’s no small sum. I would have to talk with my friends, but I’m sure they’d all be happy to accompany us.”

The black unicorn smiled. “Excellent! I shall be staying at the inn down the road.” He began trotting towards the doorway. “Oh, and you may wish to bring camping gear. I don’t know how long we’ll be there, but I don’t expect it to take less than two days.”

Twilight felt fear surge through her for a moment, but steeled herself against it. 5,000 bits was a lot of money, and while she didn’t need it (She had a Royal Credit that she could access at the bank that covered what she needed) her friends weren’t as lucky, and besides, it would give her a chance to study the ruins with others, and for a longer period than she would ever be able to on her own. Still, there was one thing that bothered her. “Neither of the princesses mentioned a new Night Court Musician.”

Nightsong stopped and turned his head back to her. “Maybe it slipped their minds.” And with that, he walked off, vanishing into the night.

Twilight turned back inside after closing the door after her mysterious visitor. There was no way she would be able to get back to sleep tonight after all that excitement. With a resigned sigh, she set about creating a checklist for the upcoming trip.

Author's Note

Wow! Two Chapters in as many days? After such a long period of absence, even I'm surprised!

As always, comments are appreciated. What I said last time still stands! Please rate!

A Perilous Journey

“Tw-Twilight? I don’t like this…” The pink- maned pegasus glanced around. They had been traveling through the Everfree Forest for hours, and hadn’t seen hide nor hair of any creatures, dangerous or otherwise.

“

"Ah’m with Fluttershy on this one. Ah don’t like how quiet it is out here.” Applejack, normally fearless, was glancing around, her eyes wide with fear, as though the trees themselves were after her.

“You guys are just scaredy cats.” Rainbow Dash said, not feeling the confidence that was in her tone. She was, in truth, just as scared as the rest of them, recalling what had happened last time they had been in the forest, during the Nightmare Moon incident. She recalled when she had almost abandoned her friends just for a chance to be in the Shadowbolts. She had felt disgusted for even considering it afterwards, but consider it she had, and she couldn’t change that.

Out of all of them, it seemed, it was Pinkie Pie who was the least affected. She bounced at the front of the group beside Nightsong, the red-maned unicorn who they had agreed to take to the castle where they had last seen Nightmare Moon, chattering away as only Pinkie Pie could.

Eventually, though, even Pinkie ran out of things to say, and it was Nightsong himself who lightened the mood, levitating a flute out of his saddlebags. He had two more bags and a cello case strapped to his back, but didn’t seem to mind it. He put the flute to his lips, still held in his magic, and Twilight winced. Magic could cause serious damage, even a simple telekinesis spell, and at that range, if the spell went wrong… It didn’t bear thinking about. She had seen magical mishaps first hand in Celestia’s Magic School.

The unicorn stallion began to play, and all at once the forest came alive. Wind rustled the trees, and the sound of creatures scuttling through the underbrush became apparent. The ponies all became entranced within the melody, a fast tune resembling birds tweeting. Coupled with the sounds from the forest, it was impossible to tell it differently from one of Fluttershy’s compositions with her bird choir, and for a moment each of the Elements looked around for the little creatures to be following them.

The song seemed to banish the darkness of the forest, and for a moment, everyone forgot they were in the Everfree, looking around and taking in the dark beauty of their surroundings. The trees overhead blocked out most sunlight, but here and there along the path rays of bright light penetrated the deep shadows, revealing the forest’s glory. The year was getting on towards autumn, and here in the Everfree, the trees were already losing their leaves in the unnatural way of the forest. Flowers that normally only bloomed at night grew on the sides of the path, illuminating the shadows in a pale, moonlight blue. Poison joke, as well as other plants known to grow on in the infamous Everfree, dappled the landscape in pale colors of blues, reds, and purples. Every now and then, eyes could be seen staring at them from the shadows. The music stopped for a moment. “I bet this forest is beautiful at night,” breathed the black unicorn. He examined the forest with open curiosity for a moment, before putting the flute back to his lips and playing a different tune, one much slower and calmer, which brought to mind the forest in a more moonlit scene.

Crack!

Everypony froze. The music stopped, its echoes fading as the notes did. There was a rustling in the trees, and growl made the hairs of everypony’s coats stand on end. “Tw-Twilight…” the yellow pegasus whimpered.

“Everypony run. Now.” Twilight’s face was a mask of concentration as she put up a shield around herself and the others.

With that, the stillness that had seemed to taken hold over the forest from the moment they had entered broke, and as they ran, the forest came to life. Howls and squeals broke out as a giant manticore burst from the trees, snarling and swiping its giant claws at them only to have the deadly weapons bounce off Twilight’s shield. It sat, stunned for a moment, as the pony’s ran off down the path to the castle. Then, with a roar, it took off after them, its size hindering it more than helping it in the small pathway made by and for ponies. As hindered as it was, however, it still managed to keep them in sight, and actually gained on them a little, as it chased them through the forest.

“Fluttershy! Can’t you do something?” Twilight yelled as they raced through the forest. She had long since dropped the shield; since they had all managed to get farther from her then she was willing to extend her it. She was loath to waste too much magic, as she knew it may come in handy later, and if she were to waste her stores now, she may not be able to recharge it when they got to their destination.

“Sorry, Twilight! This is a territory thing! That’s a mother! I’m not sure she would listen to me, even if I could get close enough to communicate.” Fluttershy had stopped and used her wings to hover as she waited for Twilight so that she could be heard over the noises that now filled the forest.

They had only been an hour’s walk away from the castle when the manticore had attacked, and running effectively quartered that time, so that fifteen minutes later, they were approaching the bridge that marked the crossover to the island on which the castle had once stood, the manticore hot on their hooves.

Rainbow Dash, having already crossed to make sure the rope bridge was secured (and to be ready to unsecure it should the need arise), was motioning them across. Applejack, the fastest of them, was already halfway across. The rest of them arrived just moments afterwards.

Fluttershy, already in the air, flew across the chasm, leaving Pinkie Pie, Nightsong, Rarity, and Twilight to decide who went first. The bridge was only stable enough to handle them one at a time, and the manticore was fast approaching. Twilight made a split-second decision. “Pinkie! You go across first. Rarity, help Nightsong and I keep the manticore at bay, then you go across! I’ll-“

“Follow right after them.” Nightsong interrupted.” I shall go last. I did not pay for protection. I needed an escort. Now that I’m here, your job is done until we begin the return trip.”

Twilight glared at the stallion before her. “We’re in this together. I’ll stay on this side. I’ve got more magical power.”

“Ah, but can you use it correctly? I’ve had years of practice. Confusing a manticore shouldn’t be a problem… Or… there IS another solution. I’ll cross the bridge at the same time as you teleport over.”

Twilight’s surprise must have shown on her face, because Nightsong smile. “I do my research on ponies before I meet them. Especially those who could destroy me in a single blast. Now, get ready!”

The manticore reached them just as Rarity started across. Twilight threw a bolt of magical energy at it, which the beast dodged easily, before teleporting behind it.

Nightsong, leaning towards more traditional style, seemed to pull the shadows from around him, creating two copies of himself, then pulled out a short sword from his ever-present cloak while the manticore was distracted. Creating a shroud of shadows around himself, he vanished; only to reappear moments later in on the manticore’s left side, stabbing at it with the sword. The manticore roared, rearing back to strike at the new threat.

Twilight chose this moment to strike. Summoning a large amount of magical energy, she teleported the manticore away, then, riding the same magic buildup, teleported herself across the chasm, where she collapsed, having tired herself during the assault.

Finding himself no longer in a melee with a large, carnivorous beast, Nightsong shoved his sword back beneath his cloak, then raced off towards the bridge. The manticore, momentarily confused, roared and leapt after him, landing only a few feet behind him as he began his frantic flight across the bridge.

Glancing back to find his foe only feet behind him, Nightsong put on an extra burst of speed. The manticore roared once more, finding its prey already halfway across the bridge. Examining the bridge before it, it let out another frustrated roar, before turning and stomping off into the forest.

The seven ponies sat, huffing and puffing from their exertions. Finally, Nightsong spoke up. “Good work everyone. Let’s *huff* never do that again.”

The others laughed, releasing the nervousness the attack had brought on.

Author's Note

Well, I'm sorry to have kept you ponies waiting! I was originally going to make this one chapter, but, when I saw how long it was taking, I decided to chop it up! The next chapter should be up soon. Until then, keep calm and be strong, everyone!

Everfree Castle

“Would you like to examine the ruins with me?”

Twilight turned from helping set up the tent. Her friends had opted to go for one tent, instead of spending the money on six separate tents. All had agreed they would feel safer sleeping in the same tent and the single, large tent had cost less than the expense of six separate ones. “You’re heading into the ruins already?”

They were in the courtyard. Nearby lay the wing of the castle where they had defeated Nightmare Moon, which, Twilight was amazed to discover, was the least intact of the entire castle, and had been the least important part: The main dining hall. The actual throne room lay much deeper within the castle, and she had never been able to venture past the ancient double doorway that led into the other sections. The castle itself was strangely intact. Upon inquiring on this, Twilight learned that Nightmare Moon had sequestered herself in the dining hall in the last few days of her reign, seeking to hide the Elements of Harmony from her sister within the castle by convincing her that the villainess had rearranged the entire structure. It had almost worked, too. If Celestia had come in the front entrance, she never would have found the Elements before Nightmare Moon had the chance to hide them on the moon, out of reach of her sister forever. As it was, Celestia had teleported into the original throne room, and had discovered the Elements as she worked her way back through the castle, to the dining room, where the final battle had taken place. The rest of the castle, however, apart from the dining room, had remained largely untouched.

The red maned unicorn before her nodded. “I shall spend the night within the ruins, learning what I can about the past. You do not have to stay all night, but I do hope you’ll find the experience educational in the time you do spend there.

Twilight considered for a moment. The tent was almost set up, and, with no further complications, she could be ready to go in a few moments. With all the excitement of the past few hours, she was sure the other would be turning in shortly, and therefore, that she wouldn’t be missed. Besides, this was a rare opportunity to examine the castle that had once been part of a major city of Equestria with someone there if the dark magic became too intense for her to handle alone. “Alright, let me finish up here, then I’ll tell the girls and we can go.”

“Alright, then.” Nightsong pulled his hood over his head, and, for a moment, Twilight almost lost him in the fading light of, well, twilight!

After they had finished putting up the tent, Twilight called over her friends. They all gathered around her in the fading light. “I’m going to examine the ruins with Nightsong. He’s going to camp out inside the castle, and has invited me to come and help him research. I-“

“Now hold yer horses there, Twi. Ah don't rightly trust that there unicorn. Fer all we know, the minute he gets yah alone, he’ll jump on yah!” Applejack eyed the unicorn, who had settled against a ruined wall and was cleaning his flute.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “If you’re all so concerned, why don’t we all go camp in the ruins? I could just stuff the tent in an extra-dimensional space, and we could just pop it out when we get there.”

All the others looked at her as though she had just had the craziest- and yet most brilliant- idea ever. All of them except Pinkie Pie, of course, who smiled and said, “That’s the most brilliant idea I’ve ever heard!”

An hour later, Twilight had created the dimensional portal, though it had taken a bit of a struggle with her already somewhat-depleted magic reserves. They had all lined up behind the black unicorn stallion, who had put away his other instruments, and had begun humming quietly to himself, a slow, melodic melody that chilled them all to the bone.

Suddenly, the humming stopped. “Before we go in there,” Nightsong said, not turning around,” I must warn you: No matter what you see, hear, or smell, do not scream, do not run, and do NOT, under ANY circumstances, look back. This castle itself isn’t evil, but evil has touched it, and all manner of creatures could be in there. Once we reach the throne room, or the temple, we should be safe.”

“Hold up there, partner.” Nightsong turned to look at Applejack, his face blank. “What temple? Ya’ll never mentioned nothing’ ‘bout a temple.”

“Ah, I almost forgot. The once great Temple of the New Moon was located somewhere in this castle. It was the last stronghold of Nightmare Moon’s, and, before that, Princess Luna’s strongest followers and supporters. The group has faded into obscurity over the years, but, during Nightmare Moon’s reign, they created the worst spells ever seen before or since. Some say their secrets are still locked in that temple, along with the bodies of the priests and zealots that fought the Equestrian Royal Army to the bitter end. They fought like demons, and it was rumored that a single New Moon priest could take down a legion himself. They hadn’t been expecting the castle to be raided, so they died without having prepared themselves. That’s the only reason why the raid succeeded. They priests were caught off guard, and slaughtered why they stood. One managed to get out the alarm, and took down several soldiers before being killed, but by then it was too late. The castle had been breached, and the Royal Army of Equestria poured into the castle, capturing and killing even as Celestia fought Nightmare Moon overhead.”

Everyone paused to take this information in. “And you expect us to believe this place is SAFE?” Rainbow Dash flew straight into Nightsong’s face. She had heard some crazy stories, but being safe inside a temple full of the worst killers in history? Now that sounded a lot like a lie.

“Of course! They weren’t evil. The Church of the Burning Sun is just as guilty, but, when Celestia won the war, she helped cover up their atrocities so that at least one church would remain, instead of two.” Seeing the disbelief on the mares’ faces, he chuckled. “’In war, the winners get to write the history.’” he quoted. Then, turning face the entrance to the castle, he lit his horn with the same red glow and led the troop inside.

Author's Note

Well, that was rather quick! Part three should be out soon, and part 4 should follow quite soon after.

As always, please rate and comment!

Friendly Chatter

“So, how do you know so much about the Church of the New Moon?” They had been walking for what felt like hours, though it had really only been a few moments, and Twilight had caught up to Nightsong, eager to question him more on what he knew about the castle.

“I’m a member, one of the Inner Circle. Their job is to protect the old secrets and ancient ways, and to make sure that the atrocities of Bellum de Angelus Lapsus, or the Last Great War, as it's known now, never happen again. They gave me permission to check on the old temple here while I was doing research. After I’m done in there, though, I’m to seal it, placing wards on it to be sure that nopony gets their hands on those spells. If I am unable to seal it, I am to destroy it, so that the knowledge is lost to the world. I hope it won't come to that.” Nightsong kept gazing ahead as he spoke. The shadows were getting deeper as the sun disappeared and the moon had yet to come out, and everyone was starting to get nervous. Suddenly, Nightsong levitated a flask from under his cloak, putting it to his lips and taking a large swig from its contents.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You’re drinking? NOW?” She couldn't believe what she had seen, but the unicorn only smiled.

“Of course! What better time than when one is nervous?” He levitated the flask over to her, grinning. “Want some?”

Twilight smiled nervously. “No thanks. I’m not much of a drinker…”

“With all the things that you've faced?” Nightsong seemed surprised. Then, he began to laugh, a deep, rumbling sound that echoed off the walls and banished the fears, if only for a moment.

Twilight laughed, too, and pretty soon they were all laughing, chasing the darkness away, forgetting their fears.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************

“E-excuse me, M-Mr. Nightsong?” Fluttershy spoke up, flying her way up to walk beside him. “D-do you have any… pets?” The yellow pegasus practically squeaked out the last word.

The black unicorn smiled gently. “Of course my dear, though… She’s not exactly a ‘pet’, in that she’s a sentient, and very independent, creature. She just finds it convenient to live with me.”

“She?”

“Yes. You’ve heard of the Celestial Beasts? Ursa Majors and Minors, and the always beautiful Sagitarius Stags?” At Fluttershy’s nod, he continued,” It is impossible to tame any of these creatures, of course, as they are sentient and already know how to be tame, but prefer to be wild. Well, Gatta , as she prefers to be called, is a Leo Lion. She prefers the shape of a smaller cat, however, so it’s much easier for me to keep her about. She lives with me, eating with me, sleeping in a cat bed, and living the good life away from predators, and, in return, I gain her infinite wisdom and a powerful ally.” He snorted. “Of course, I also get a cat that’s much more arrogant and much less loyal than a normal one, if that's even possible.” He and Fluttershy shared a laugh, and continued to talk, Nightsong sharing information about the many exotic pets he had seen during his traveling of Equestria. Fluttershy, in turn, spoke of her animals, and how she cared for each and every one. They both shared a quiet laugh at each other’s humorous stories, and cried at each other’s said moments.
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“That was some pretty awesome footwork back there with the manticore.” Fluttershy had run out of things to say and drifted back to the back of the group, and Rainbow Dash had taken her place.

Nightsong smiled at the cyan pegasus. “Thanks. I studied for a number of years under many different instructors, learning many different sword techniques. I could show you a few, later, if you’re interested.”

Rainbow’s eyes widen, and her jaw dropped. “That would be SO awesome!”

Nightsong smiled, then used his magic to pull out the sword. and began explaining to the cyan pegasus about balancing the blade and proper sword techniques, and the various techniques from around the world. "My personal favorite is the style practiced by the ninja in the Eastern Pegasi Republics. It's based more on fluid movement, and focus more on using speed for dodging attacks than actual blocking and deflecting techniques."

"That's what I'm talking about! I'm all about speed!" Rainbow boasted. "After all, I can clear the skies over Ponyville in ten. Seconds. Flat. Isn't that right, Twilight?" The rainbow maned mare glanced back at the lavender unicorn, a sly grin on her face. Twilight looked up from the conversation she'd been having with Applejack, a sheepish grin on her face, before turning her head to hear Applejacks response.

"Then the ninja fighting style might suit you well." Nightsong said, a small grin on his face. For the next hour, he taught the cyan pegasus about the history and culture of the ninja, then some basic fighting styles. Finally, Rainbow Dash yawned and began to drift back towards the rest of the group.
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“Darling, wherever did you get such a wonderful cloak?” Rarity was examining the black fabric with interest. They had wandered deeper into the castle, and the shadows were beginning to fade in the moon’s bright light, though they still remained deep in some places.

The cloak, entirely black on the outside, with a different red fabric on the inside, had several pockets lining the inside of it, yet managed to remain light. It was large enough to conceal the black unicorn’s saddlebags as well, making them seem like an extension of his body, and his tail, hiding the bright red from sight in the dark tunnels. The materials were strong and durable, and the outer material seemed to be proofed against magic, having ignored Rarity’s attempts to pick it up with hers.

Nightsong smiled. “The outer material was a gift from a friend of mine, back in Zebrica. An old missionary unicorn who had gone to Zebrica to spread the word of the Church of the New Moon. He told me it was blessed, and that it would protect me from those who wished to do me harm. I had it checked, and was told it was proofed against magic. Since then, I’ve had it made into a cloak, with the inner material having spells to protect me from diseases and poisons. So long as I wear it, I should be safe from magic and poison, though other forms of attack still work against me.

Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Tell me, does your friend sell this material?”

Nightsong considered this a moment. “He may. It takes a lot of magic to create enough material for a cloak, but… I’ll tell you what. I’m heading to Zebrica as soon as I’m given some time off to study more on the music and instruments there. You and your friends could come with me, and you could talk to him yourself.”

The white unicorn’s eyes widened. “Zebrica? But… But that’s so far away! Who would care for the boutique? And Sweetie Belle? And Opal…”

The black unicorn only shook his head and began to hum a few bars of the song played at the Opening of the Night Court ceremony, the music adding a comforting atmosphere, a sense of order in the insanity of Everfree Castle.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************

“So, partner, what makes ya’ll wanna come ta this castle, anywho?” Applejack had replaced Rarity, the white unicorn still fretting over the trip to Zebrica.

“Princess Luna’s birthday is coming up soon, and I had a gift idea that involved the castle, the way it was BEFORE Nightmare Moon.” Nightsong responded, nodding to Applejack as she trotted up beside him.

“Are ya’ll sure that’s such a good idea? She may not wanna be reminded of the old days…”

“I have already spoken with Princess Celestia about it. She has approved of the present, though not my way of obtaining the information. She seemed to think this castle would be too dangerous for anypony. I assured her that would not be the case, but she still had me promise that I would bring an escort. It was a lovely, if unnecessary, sentiment.”

“Ah disagree. If the princess thought ya’ll wouldn’t be safe, then I’d have agreed with her. She knows more than most other ponies.”

Nightsong smiled mysteriously. ”That she does. That she does.” Then, turning his head forward, he began to discuss Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack, put off by the air of mystery surrounding this strange stallion who had somehow managed to find his way into all their lives, was chilly at first, but soon warmed up to the topic.

Eventually, she drifted back to the group, and Twilight trotted forwards once more. She was about to speak when Nightsong held up a hoof. “Alright, everyone. Here’s where the tough part begins. The Nightmare Garden.”

A Garden of Nightmares.

The Nightmare Garden, formerly Luna’s Dream Garden, had once been one of the most beautiful places in all of Equestria. The paths had been lined with Poison Joke, and all manner of wildlife had settled amongst the night-loving, luminescent plant life that had hung from the rafters that held up the ceiling. The ceiling in question was actually a type of glass, tinted during the day so that no sunlight could pass through, while a spell of Eternal Night kept the plants and animals inside alive. During the night, the glass became clear, allowing pure moon- and starlight into the garden. In the middle of the garden, which, in itself, was the size of a hoofball field, and nearly twice as wide, the path split eight ways. Two ways lead to grottos, centered around a statue each. One was of Celestia, tall and proud, looking down over the garden with one of her kindest smiles. The other was of Princess Luna, tall, regal, and smiling, though not a kind one. This smile was a bit more uncertain, and had an air of pain surrounding it. Two more ways lead to stages where the sisters would raise and lower the sun and moon on the solstices. One was the original path itself. The other three lead to doors, which had led to the Throne Room, the sister’s bedchambers, and the training courtyard for the guards, respectively.

This area had been the place where Luna had first sought out the shadows, and the results had destroyed its beauty.
The plants, originally docile, had become sentient, and carnivorous. They snapped and writhed as though in great pain, their massive jaws closing on insects, reptiles, and sometimes, each other. The plant life was not the only thing that had suffered. The insects, far from being unaffected, had grown huge. They thrived in the garden, feasting on some long dead trees while more grew in their places. The reptiles, once small and harmless, had grown in response to the rest. They fought the plants in a seemingly endless battle. There were pony skeletons littering the floor, the last remains of adventurers long gone. The air was stagnant, and there were no signs of any birds. The moonlight, instead of adding beauty, only increased the horror of the scene, as massive shadows of creatures climbed the walls, and snarling and cries of pain rent the air.

The bearers looked horrified. “O-o-oh my…” Fluttershy seemed the most affected. She had cared for reptiles and insects before, and many of them had seemed harmless. The creatures in the garden, however, were easily as large as her, and did not seem anywhere near friendly.

Twilight and Nightsong got together to discuss their next course of action, while the other five ponies sat, staring at the scene before them, contemplating how they would get across.

“I’ll lead us in. I can use some paralysis spells to freeze the plants and reptiles for a while, and we should be able to deal with the insects quite easily.” Twilight said

“It’s not the insects I’m worried about.” Nightsong looked over the garden, his eyes set on the walls.

“What else is there?”

Nightsong turned to look at her, surprised. “Have you not read up on the castle? Evil magic permeates this place. The shadows are able to come alive. If we’re not careful, they’ll be the ones to get us. I don’t have very many light spells, certainly none powerful enough to protect a large group, so I’ll try to distract the plants and reptiles. I believe I have a song that should see us safely across…. IF you can stop the shadows.”

Twilight stopped for a moment, then nodded. “I hope you know how to soothe the savage beast, otherwise, we may end up a permanent fixture here.”

***********

Rarity covered her mouth to suppress a squeal as a root moved next to her hoof. Nightsong continued playing a lullaby on his viola, moving the bow across the strings as he shot an angry look back down the line.

They had been walking for a few moments now, Twilight in the middle with the most powerful light spell she could muster. Nightsong walked in front, playing the instrument as he went. Applejack came next, then Pinkie. Rainbow Dash hovered between Pinkie and Twilight, who walked directly in front of Fluttershy. Rarity brought up the rear. She had refused to set hoof in the room, claiming it was, “dirty and horrid beyond imagination.” Realizing she would be the only one left on this side of the room, however, she had reluctantly agreed.

Suddenly, one of the sleeping lizards shifted in his sleep, and his tail came up, slapping the viola out of Nightsong’s grip. The instrument flew through the air for a moment, before shattering on the ground on the opposite side of the room.

“Run. Now.” Nightsong said, pulling out his sword as the plants began to stir. Rarity screamed as one sniffed her, bucking it in the face before racing off. The others ran as well, keeping close to Twilight as Nightsong hacked and slashed at anything that got too close for comfort.

To her credit, Twilight managed to concentrate on her spell all the way to the door to the throne room. Shadows scattered as her light approached, hissing and spitting all the way.

Finally, they made it to the throne room door. ”Stand back!” Nightsong called, blasting them open with a wave of shadow magic.

They all raced in, and Applejack and Twilight slammed the doors shut just as a giant lizard, his as hungry, got to the doorway. The doors hit the lizard full in the face, and her was thrown back into the waiting jaws of one of the carnivorous plants, which slammed shut, sucking in his tail like a spaghetti noodle.

“Phew. We made it, girls!” Twilight called, only to freeze as she heard the one voice she had hoped never to hear again.

“Who DARES to disturb the QUEEN of the Night?! Who dares enter my throne room?!” Nightmare Moon’s voice rang out in the darkness.

Author's Note

Part four is out the door!Woo Hoo!

Memories

Celestia dodged another strike as her blade slashed the air. “Please sister! Do not do this! We can still fix this!”

“No! Stop trying to fix things, sister! There is no fixing this!” The shadows crept around her feet, responding to her summons, creeping up her legs.

Luna! Please! Don’t do this!” The shadows were at her knees, throwing her nerves into a frenzy. Waves of ecstasy flowed over her as the shadows touched her skin.

"Don’t do what, sister? Take what is rightfully mine? I deserve the respect of those ponies out there! I deserve their love just as much as you! But I get NOTHING! No more!” The shadows were closing in on her head now. Celestial’s eyes were tearing up as she looked on in horror, watching her sister disappear into the blackness.

“Please, sister, stop this! I’m sorry!” Celestia cried out, even as Luna disappeared. A dark laugh filled the throne room. No. Not THE throne room. HER throne room.

“It is too late for ‘sorry’, sister. The night. Will last. FOREVER!” Nightmare Moon laughed, grabbing her sister with the shadows that surrounded them, throwing her from the castle.
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Luna awoke in a cold sweat, her bed soaked through. Still exhausted after the dream, she absently summoned a shadow to her side, caressing it as one might a lover. The shadow swirled about her hoof, delighting in her touch. She watched as it slowly began creeping up her leg…

Luna fell from the bed, a horrified cry escaping her lips. A guard burst in to see the shadow creeping away from the princess, who stared after in in horror, and another emotion the guard couldn’t identify.

The guard glanced from the corner where the shadow had vanished to Luna, before quietly exiting the room, shutting the door behind him.
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“I will turn you to stone to decorate my garden, fools! None of you shall escape here alive!” Nightmare Moon’s dark laugh echoed down through the room. The Element bearers jumped into position, and Twilight wished she had brought the Elements of Harmony.

Suddenly, Nightsong began laughing. “It’s just a defense spell! She left a shadow-memory here to scare away intruders!” His horn began to glow as he pointed it towards the silhouette of Nightmare Moon sitting on the throne, and suddenly it began to disperse, the shadows washing over him like a blanket before vanishing. Suddenly, the room was lit by lantern light as the shadows uncovered the magic, ever-active lanterns that lined the room.

The throne room, where the royal sisters had once sat together, ruling Equestria from its largest city, was now a place of forgotten memories. One of the thrones, presumably Celestia’s, had been reduced to rubble. Equestrian Empire flags hung in tatters alongside the flags of the Eternal Night, and the floor was covered in scorch marks, presumably from the first battle, held here, where Nightmare Moon and her forces had defeated Celestia, forcing her from the castle. The last remaining throne in the room had been remade, turned to black crystal by Nightmare Moon. Ropes, which had, at one point, been used for public hangings, still hung from the rafters, their occupants long since gone. Any windows there may once have been had been sealed up, and a veal of permanent night hung over the room, covering the ceiling in the eternal night that Nightmare Moon had wanted. The floor, though it had been worn at by time, was covered by a map of the former Empire, the furthest reaches extending deeply into what were now the Griffon Kingdoms, the Independent Unicorn Republic, and several other countries that had split off at the power vacuum left behind by the loss of one of the goddesses.

“I believe this would be a good place to stop.” Nightsong said, turning around, only to find that Twilight was the only one still awake to listen to him, the tent falling out of her extra-dimensional space. The others had collapsed where they stood, breathing deeply in the telltale pattern of sleep.
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“Sister, the guard tells me that you were attacked by shadows.” Celestia stood outside Luna’s door, her patience wearing thin. She had closed court early, pleading exhaustion, before rushing up to see her sister. That had been almost two hours ago, and she had been trying to get Luna to talk to her for the past hour. Normally, she would just go in, but she was afraid that if she tried, it may upset Luna, and, from what the guard had told her, Luna was already on a fine edge.

Finally, the door opened. “It was not an attack.” Luna’s voice was so quiet Celestia could barely understand her.

The Solar Princess’s eyes went wide. “Luna… You didn’t….”

“Just leave me be!”

Luna slammed the door in her sister’s face, the sound echoing down the corridor. Celestia sighed, then began to walk back to her own room. Reaching a guard posted at the end of the hallway, who saluted her on sight, she paused. “Have a servant bring a bottle of Applejack whiskey to my room.”

The guard saluted her once more. “At once, Princess.” As she walked off down the corridor, the guard flagged down a passing servant. He repeated the Celestia’s request, then dismissed her.

Celestia received the bottle just as she was about to enter her room. Thanking the servant, who smiled and bowed before scurrying off to some other part of the castle, the Princess of the Sun took the bottle in her magic, popped the lid into non-existance, and proceeded to drink its contents as she gently closed her bedroom door behind her. It would be a long day.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************

After helping get the others settle into the tent, Twilight turned to Nightsong. “Well, what now?”

Nightsong smiled mysteriously. “Now, we combine our magic. I’ll use some shadow magic, and we’ll see this castle brought to life once more, even if only temporarily.”

Twilight’s eye’s widened. “With shadow magic? But isn’t that…”

Nightsong laughed softly. “Yes, shadow magic was Nightmare Moon’s choice of magic, but that does not make it evil, per se. It simply means that it can be used for evil. Now, shall we?”

Twilight nodded, and both her and Nightsong’s horn lit up. As the shadows began to creep towards Nightsong, a tendril of purple magic shot from Twilight’s horn to his, combining with his.

Suddenly, Twilight gasped, and all at once, the purple light disappeared. Twilight looked around in awe. Nightsong, sweating profusely, smiled.

“I give you the Memories of Everfree Castle!”

Author's Note

New chapter! Woo Hoo!

Days Long Gone.

Days Long Gone

Twilight watched in amazement as shadows, shaped like ponies, stepped from the walls, stretching noiselessly. Then, suddenly, it was daytime, and Princess Celestia’s voice rang out.

“Let the Day Court begin!” Celestia called from her now-whole throne. Twilight thought she seemed… younger, somehow, less wise.

As a young brown mare stepped forward to speak to the princess, who smiled kindly down on her, Twilight took the time to examine her new surroundings. Banners, with the old Equestrian Empire symbol of the two princesses circling the world, flew from the rafters. Sunlight streamed in from the windows, which had seemingly been reopened. A red carpet led from the throne, leading to seven doors, six lining the halls and the door to the Grand Entryway, which was just closing, allowing her to see a line of ponies waiting to see the princess. Two guards stood at the door, their golden armor shining in the light. More guards lined the throne room, their faces devoid of any expression, their eyes scanning the room every five seconds. Princess Celestia sat on one of the two thrones in the room, her mane flowing behind her as she listened intently to the brown coated earth pony mare. On her right sat a pony Twilight couldn’t identify. The pony was obviously a mare, and was obviously bored. Her coat was light blue, and she continuously played with her blonde mane, twirling it about her hoof, sometimes biting on it, as she stared out the window. She gave a sudden yelp as a strand of her mane was surrounded by a deep blue aura and tugged. She turned offended eyes to the pony on Celestia’s left. Twilight followed her look… And gasped. “Starswirl the Bearded!” She almost shouted.

Indeed, the pony sitting on Celestia’s left-hoof side was none other than Twilight’s hero, Starswirl the Bearded. Dressed in his usual robe, with bells adorning it, the grey unicorn stallion was glaring at the other pony on the other side of the throne, who seemed to shrink under his gaze. She turned her attention back to the mare who was laying her case out before Celestia. (Twilight only dimly understood it. Apparently, it was something about a land dispute.) Starswirl nodded once before looking back down to the pony at the foot of the throne as well.

Suddenly, Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. “Amazing, isn’t it?” Twilight shrieked and jerked her head around, her horn lighting up with a lightning spell.

Nightsong held up his hooves in mock surrender. “Pardon me, miss. I didn’t realize how engrossed you were in the memories.” He nodded towards the throne. “Quite something, isn’t it?”

“Wh- Where are we?” Twilight got out as she tried to calm her breathing.

“Not where, my dear, but when. The shadows have recreated a day sometime in the past, before Nightmare Moon. I wonder what day it is, exactly?” Nightsong stepped forward, looking around in wonder.

“Does it matter?” Twilight stepped forward as well, looking at the black unicorn curiously. “You seem to know a lot about shadow magic, Mr. Redtail.”

Nightsong smiled. “I dabble.” He turned his attention back to the throne, where Celestia was talking to Starswirl and the other pony. “I suppose it doesn’t, so long as it’s a routine day. Oh well. Might as well get comfortable.” He walked over to one of the windows, sitting down in front of it and pulling out some paper, a quill, and an ink bottle. He patted the area beside him with his hoof, motioning Twilight over. They sat and watched as a day of life for the Everfree Castle of the past unfurled before them.

7:45 am: Celestia begins Day Court. Ponies, presumably nobles, file in and sit themselves on stuffed chairs around the room. Guards begin allowing petitioners into the throne room, where the Solar Princess hears cases from all over the empire.

8:00 am: Celestia orders refreshments for herself and her advisors. The nobility have been quiet so far, seeming content to let the princess handle matters while they observe.

8:45-10:00 am: Day Court is interrupted as Church of the Burning Sun priests and priestesses enter to perform daily worship. Nobility is sent away. Many do not return. Note: Celestia’s eyes seem to roll a lot during this.

10:00-11:00 am: Day Court resumes.

11:00-12:00 am: Celestia closes Day Court, and leaves for the dining hall to eat with her sister. Note: Luna is already beginning to show signs of corruption. She glares daggers at Celestia when the Solar Princess is not looking. The entire meal seems awkward, as Celestia tries to drag her sister into conversation, and Luna keeps silent. Finally, the meal breaks up, and Luna returns to her bedroom. Must see about finding a date further back, when both Celestia and Luna were happy.

12:00-5:00 pm: Celestia wanders around the old city, trying to seem as normal as possible, helping out citizens where she’s able, though the Royal Guard is never far behind, and their hooves never leave their weapons. Note: It is about this time the Twilight leaves, begging exhaustion. I can imagine…

5:00-8:00 pm: Celestia and Luna hold Evening Court, where more pressing problems are brought. Ponies barely glance at the Pirncess of the Night, mostly, though several of the nobles nod to her. I recognize some of them as supporters of Nightmare Moon. These nobles always address Luna with their concerns, preferring to ignore Celestia. It doesn’t seem that she notices.

8:00- 9:00 pm: Court is closed for dinner. This goes the same as lunch.

9:00 pm- 12:00 midnight: Luna holds Night Court. I’ll stop here. It’s obvious the data past this point will be tainted.

Nightsong put down his quill and rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t slept in two days, and the spell had taken a lot out of him. With a sigh, he released the spell. The old throne room disappeared, and the modern version of it reappeared. The shadows that had created the memory stepped back into the walls, disappearing into them just as silently as they had appeared.

Nightsong levitated his notes to reread them, then nodded and stored his writing material under his cloak once more. He walked towards the tent he had set up the night before, then stopped. He glanced back at the throne and sighed. He cast one last spell, and another shadow appeared before him, swirling into a whirlpool before finally settling at his side as a little fox. He smiled as he lifted his hoof to pet it. The shadows felt cool against him as his hoof passed through the creature, which then proceeded to rub up against his flank. He sighed, and together the two of the walked towards the tent, closing it against the cold air inside the castle.

A Bridge Encounter

Lightning flashed, sending shadows dancing across the walls, and illuminating seven ponies walking across a formerly-covered stone walkway that had once spanned the raging Everfree River leading to a different part of the Everfree Castle. For the ponies who had spent their entire lives in places where the weather was controlled, this unplanned thunderstorm was disconcerting, and the noises that echoed from deeper within the castle didn’t help. Even Rainbow Dash, the normally fearless flyer who had once dived into a well to save the young filly that had accidently stumbled in, jumped each time thunder rocked the open structure. Pinkie and Nightsong, however, were chatting happily about various pastries and such from around the world, Pinkie bouncing along beside the dark unicorn as they pressed on towards the next destination.

“How can you two be so relaxed?” Twilight asked at one point when a particularly loud explosion of thunder caused the walkway to shake violently, and almost sending the purple unicorn plunging into the raging rapids nearly sixty feet below.

“Isn’t it obvious, silly? He’s seen this type of weather before! And I’m not scared because of what Granny Pie said…” Before she could launch into song, however, Nightsong put his hoof over her mouth and motioned for silence.

“We’re almost there,” he whispered, “but it looks like we may have zombponies.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Zombponies don’t exist!” Twilight laughed.

A moan echoed down the hall as shuffling hoofsteps signaled the fact that Twilight was wrong.

“Get ready everyone. It looks like we may have company.” Nightsong called as the first zombpony shuffled around the corner.

Eight zombponies shuffled down the corridor as the group readied themselves. The undead creatures were dressed in the uniforms of the old Nightguard, which clanked loudly as they moved. Their mouths hung open in impatient moaning, and blood dripped from their teeth. Their eyesockets were empty, black pits that conveyed no emotion, and their manes and coats had long since begun to rot away, revealing muscle, bone, and, in some cases, brain matter to the outside world.

Applejack charged passed the startled black unicorn, racing towards the incoming group of zombponies. She jumped, flipping in the air so her hind legs were facing towards the undead. She kicked out, knocking the destroyed body of the former guard back to the wall on the other side of the walkways. Suddenly, she lost her balance, and fell on her face. As she tried to stand, she saw another zombie bearing down on her, its jaws only inches from her throat. She closed her eyes, braced for death.

Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the walkway. Applejack opened her eyes in time to see the undead soldier blasted away by a cake. She turned to see Pinkie, her party cannon smoking while she leaned on it, appearing to examine her hoofs. “That’s how we do tings in Baltimare.” The pink party pony sayed in a fair imitation of a Baltimare accent.

Applejack smiled. “Thanks, Pinkie. “ The pink earth pony’s reply was cut short, however, when another of the zombponies stumbled around the other side of her party cannon and lurched at her. She shrieked, jumping over the undead creature and running behind Twilight, who appeared to concentrating on a spell. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and three balls of blue fire floated lazily from the purple unicorn’s horn to three of the remaining undead guards, who then promptly exploded into ash.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were surrounded by four. The cyan pegasus’s eyes gleamed. She flew up before diving at one of the undead creatures, delivering a powerful kick that completely destroyed the thing’s head. She turned back to see Fluttershy cowering as the other three zombponies closed in on her. There was no time for Rainbow to get back to help the pink-maned Pegasus, and she could only watch as the zombies shuffled forward.

Suddenly, Nightsong was there, his sword leading as he cut the head off one of the undead creatures. As the head flew off, the red maned unicorn used his sword the bat it at one of the two remaining zombies, bowling it over. The fourth he grabbed in his telekinesis, throwing it to the raging Everfree River below.

“Thanks for saving her.” Rainbow said as she flew over to the two. Fluttershy could only stammer out her thanks, still cowering.

Suddenly, a blood curdling shriek echoed down the walkway. All the ponies turned to see Rarity, pressed against the wall and surrounded by zombies. It was clear she had held her own in the assault, as three fresh corpses surrounded her, but three undead still remained. One of them had bitten her leg, and was hanging there as she tried to shake it off. The other two weren’t yet close enough to bite her, but it was clear they would be before any of the ponies could save the white unicorn.

Rarity screamed again as pain lanced up her foreleg, causing spots to appear in her vision. She kicked out with her other leg and heard a satisfying crunch as it connected with something. Suddenly, the weight was gone from her leg. She sighed in relief before another wave of pain rolled over her. The last thought she had before she blacked out was At least my Spikey-wikey isn’t here to see this…

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

“No! Rarity!” Spike ran around the library, his claws tearing chunks out of the tree.

“Spike? Are you all right in there?” Mrs.Cake’s voice rang through the library. Business had been kind of slow lately, so she had left her husband in charge of Sugar Cube Corner while she checked on Spike, as Twilight had asked her to do every so often to make sure he hadn’t destroyed the library.

“No! Rarity! Danger! Hurt!” Spike threw open the door, trying to run out the door past Mrs.Cake, who grabbed him before he could step over the threshold.

“Oh no you don’t. The Everfree Forest is too dangerous a place for a baby dragon. You are staying here. I’m sure Rarity is fine. Now, look at the mess you’ve made of this library! I expect it to be back to normal by the time I come to put you to bed tonight!”

“Yes, ma’am…” Spike walked off to get the cleaning supplies, grumbling all the way. Mrs. Cake smiled as she headed home. What a devoted boy.

Author's Note

Hey, guys! Sorry this took so long. I've been working on this for MONTHS trying to get it right, and here are the results! Big cliffhanger, huh?

Btw, I'm looking for someone to help me write some music for a later chapter of the story. PM if you're interested! I've already got some lyrics, I'm having trouble with the notes.

Treating the Wounds

“You’re a very lucky mare, Ms. Rarity. All of the ponies you could have around after being bitten by a zombpony, and you get one with experience in treating such wounds. Very lucky indeed if I do say so myself.” The black unicorn smiled as he crushed the rather larger berry he had placed in a wooden bowl to a pulp. The bag of medical supplies he had opened earlier sat open beside his patient, and every now and then he would request one item or another, and the white unicorn, who was propped up on a mound of other bags and pillows provided by her friends, would reach in and grab the requested object from the depths of the medical bag, and place it in the waiting hoof to join the large list of ingredients being added to the concoction settled over a fire in the middle of the campsite.

“Yes, I suppose I would be…Except said pony is also the one who got me into the situation where I got bitten by that horrible undead atrocity!” Rarity smiled faintly, her head whirling. The disease that the undead creature had infected her with when it had bitten her was traveling fast, but Nightsong continued to assure her that, though it would be close, he could still stop the disease.

“Yes, I could see how that would be unlucky.” Nightsong smiled warmly as he dumped the last few ingredients into the cauldron. “There. That should be ready in about five minutes, you drink it, then we can join the others in that sweet land of dreams. Meanwhile…”

The black unicorn lay down beside her, his cloak making pooling around him as he settled in. “What’s it like? Being a legend known throughout the world, I mean. Everywhere I’ve been; Saddle Arabia, Zebrica, the dragon lands.... Everywhere I’ve been, there’s been talk of the new Element bearers and their glorious victories over evil.”

“Well, to tell you the truth, it’s quite intimidating. Yes, I know, I go on about wanting to be a world-renown fashion designer, but that’s different. To be adored for something you love doing, something that doesn’t send you running off to save the world every other week? I could live with the crowds, the press, and all the other riff raff, but… It’s quite difficult knowing that, every time your home is in trouble, you’re one of the first ponies called on. It really is quite a hassle, and very dangerous. There are times I wish….” Rarity’s eyes began to get misty, just as there was a small puff from the cauldron.

“That means it’s ready. Miss…. I understand. It’s not easy being the first line of defense.” Before she could respond, Nightsong had stood and taken a medium-sized wooden bowl from his medical bag. He walked over to the cauldron. Levitating the bowl with his magic, he dipped it into the cauldron, waited until it had filled, then levitated it out and walked back over to the white unicorn. “Drink up!”

Rarity captured the floating bowl with her own magic, floating it over to her. She wrinkled her muzzle at the smell. “Is this really necessary? This foul smelling concoction certainly isn’t very appetizing…”

“Either you drink the potion or succumb to the disease. It’s your choice. Personally, I would prefer that such a beautiful mare stay alive for as long as possible. The world would be worse off without you.” The black unicorn grinned, then set about cleaning up his supplies.

Rarity smiled at Nightsong’s comment. Then, taking a deep breath and holding her nose, she put the bowl to her lips and began to drink.

Immediately, she began feeling better. The pain in her leg disappeared, and her head was much clearer. The potion tasted of some flavor she couldn’t identify, somewhat sour but still very, very sweet. The taste reminded her of some cupcakes Pinkie had made once using some sort of ‘secret sauce’. She had never bothered to ask Pinkie what made the sauce special, nor had she wondered what he was merely accepting it as another one of Pinkie’s culinary masterpieces, yet now curiosity had the better of her. She was about to ask when a wave of drowsiness hit her and her eyes closed for the night.

Nightsong chuckled softly. He spoke a few words to the air, and the shadows beneath the sleeping unicorn solidified, cradling the mare as they floated her off towards her tent. The red-maned unicorn hummed softly to himself, dancing as he cleaned. The shadows seemed to dance with him, forming different animals that trotted by. Suddenly, the shadows coalesced into another unicorn.

Nightsong began to sing softly under his breath as he grabbed the newly-formed shadow and began to dance with it, twirling about the campsite carelessly. He sidestepped the wooden bowl that Rarity had drank from only moments earlier, twirling the shadowy pony to the other side of the room, where it vanished back into the shadows. Stopping as he reached a hole in the breached walkway, he finished the song, bowing to the moon as he did so.

Ah, Princess. Goodnight, and sweet dreams.

Smiling to someone who wasn’t there, he turned, finished cleaning, and crept silently into his tent, casting a shadow over the fire to extinguish it.

Author's Note

Hey, guys! Sorry this chapter is so short! I wanted to make it longer, but that would take away from the next chapter, which I am hoping will be much longer! As always, comments are appreciated!

Scouting Ahead

“So, Ms. Pie…” Nightsong began, stopping when the pink party mare suddenly appeared in front of him, bouncing backwards just as easily as she had forwards.

The two had left the others to finish cleaning up camp while they scouted ahead. The scouting had been silent and rather uneventful, with neither one speaking for fear of attracting monsters. Now, though, they were on their way back, and Nightsong wanted to fill the silence that had plagued them for so long.

“Yes, Mr. Redtail?” Pinkie asked, drawing out the word for several seconds as she bounced.

“Are you going to Princess Luna’s birthday party next week?” Nightsong blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

Pinkie looked confused for a second, then broke out into a wide grin. “Oh, Mr. Redtail, you’ve gone and mixed up your days! The princess birthday is still months away. Don’t worry, I’ve done that before. One time I got so confused I put next year on an invitation that I sent out to all of my friends, and none of them showed up for the party that was actually the next week! Isn’t that silly? And then-“

“Hold on a moment, Ms. Pie-“

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Pinkie, Nightsong!”

“Er, yes, Pinkie. Give me a moment, please.” The black unicorn stopped for a moment, his horn glowing. An invitation, with the royal seal on it, appeared in front of him, already opened. He began to read it out loud.

Dear Mr. Redtail,

Princess Luna has requested your services for her birthday party on the nineteenth day of the twelfth moon of the Year of the Sister’s Reign 2507. The party will include-

Nightsong stopped, pointing to the words on the paper. “See? Next week.”

Pinkie’s mane seemed to deflate before him, the pink mare’s eyes filling with tears. “But….W-why? Why wouldn’t they tell me? Why would they…Lie?” She looked at the ground, tears falling from her eyes as she sobbed quietly.

Nightsong was uncomfortable. He felt bad about having broken the news to Pinkie, news which, obviously, had been meant to be kept from the pink mare. He went and put his hoof around her. “There, there. We’ll just have to bring you to the party some other way. And I think I have the perfect way.” Suddenly, a violin appeared out of thin air and floated over to the pink pony. “Can you play?”

Pinkie slowly looked up, taking the instrument in her hooves and looking at it for a moment. Then, she closed her eyes, placed the instrument under her chin, took the bow, and began to play a simple, sad melody.

When she finished, she opened her eyes to find Nightsong staring at her in amazement, his jaw having dropped all the way to the floor. She giggled, reaching over and pulling down on the wayward appendage, causing it to roll up like an old fashioned curtain before settling back into its rightful position. “That was…Beautiful. Tell me, what piece was it?”

Pinkie blushed. “Oh, just a little song I made up as I played. It’s not much,” she added, noticing Nightsong looking amazed again.

The black unicorn smiled. “Ladies and gentlecolts, we have our violinist!” He pretended to present Pinkie to a make believe audience.

There was a loud thwump as Pinkie’s tail and mane popped back into their messy state. She flew through the air and tackled the black unicorn, squeezing him as hard as she could. “Really? You mean it? Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

Nightsong tried to say something, but all that came out was a small croak as Pinkie crushed him. The pink party pony grinned sheepishly as she set him down. “Sorry. I was just so happy!”

The unicorn grinned,” Don’t mention it. After all, what are friends for, right?” He began walking back down the corridor.

Pinkie sat for a moment, wondering if she actually considered the mysterious pony a friend. Realizing she did, she smiled after him. “Thanks…Friend.” She jumped to her feet, bouncing after the unicorn as they made their way back to the others.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************

The ancient cathedral stood separate from the castle. The old structure was still completely intact, and looked as though someone had been maintaining it since the castle had been abandoned. Two large gargoyles stood on pillars that sat beside the entrance, their eyes a pair of slightly glowing rubies that made it look as though the creatures may actually be alive. The clock in the tower at the top still worked, its hands moving ever closer to the midnight hour. Right now, it was nine o’clock, and as the hands moved into position, a loud bell struck out the hour, the ground trembling slightly as they did so. Stone creatures of every sort covered the structure, each of them a creature of the night, and each of them looking alive. The most impressive statue, however, stood in front of the entrance, so that any pony that wanted to go in would have to pass by it.

The statue in question stood close to ten feet tall, excluding the pedestal it was on, which rose it off the ground at least two feet. Two dark blue sapphires, enchanted long ago to look and act like real eyes, stared down at the seven ponies that now stood in front of it. Nightmare Moon’s stern visage almost sent many of them running, and only the fact that they were together kept the six friends in place. The black unicorn that headed the group, however, simply smiled as though he had found the greatest dragon’s treasure he’d ever seen.

“My friends,” he announced, turning back to the others with the gleam of discovery in his eyes. “Welcome,” here, he swept his hoof back to indicate the massive structure behind him, “To the Temple of the New Moon!”

A Shady Type of Magic

"Why does no pony love my beautiful night?" Luna screamed, slamming her head against the desk. She had magically sealed the doors, and could hear the guards yelling and kicking at it, attempting to get inside, worried that she may be trying to hurt herself again.

"I love it." Luna spun around, trying to see anything in the pitch blackness of her room, which she kept up because the light reminded her too much of her sister's day. Even artificial light intensified her hatred now, as her sister's subjects use of it took away from the beauty of her night.

"Who's there? Redtail, is that you? I'm not hurting myself again, so you can just leave." Her voice shook as she spoke, her eyes roaming the room. She thought she saw something shift in the corner, near her balcony doors, but she couldn't be sure.

"Someone who loves your night as much as you do, and wants to help you put that stuck-up sister of yours in her place. Someone who feels your pain, who has shared your last 1000 years with you, who's watched as your sister slowly took over everything, leaving your court empty. Are you ready?" Luna's eyes settled on the spot she had thought moved earlier, and, to her surprise, she saw the shadowed area seem to attempt to suck in the other shadows in the room.

"Well, y-yes, but I-"

"Excellent. I do need one small thing from you first, however." At Luna's puzzled look, the voice laughed. "Don't worry, it's nothing major. I just need a home. Oh, not just any home, of course. One inside your mind. A permanent one. On your Royal Promise, of course."

Luna almost told the voice she didn't know what it was talking about. How could it know about the Royal Promise? The only ponies in the world who knew about that were her and Celestia. And yet, somehow, it did not surprise her. "Very well then," she said instead, willing her voice not to shake with nervousness. Picking up the dagger she had on the desk beside her, and taking a deep breath, she began to recite the Promise.

"Cross my heart." At this, she took the knife and drew it across the skin over where her heart should be in a large X, producing a fairly large cut. "And taste our bloods." At this, she used her magic to open a drawer in the desk, pulling out a vial with a hand-etched sun on it. She pulled out the stopper with her teeth, then poured the red liquid within on the dagger, watching as it mingled with her already-aquired blood. "On my life as a ruler, I promise you you will always have a home in my mind."

The dagger seemed to fly out of her magic, soaring across the room to the shadows by the balcony. Suddenly, the shadows disappeared, and a large black alicorn wearing silver armor appeared in their place. Her large azure eyes fixed themselves on Luna, and she opened her mouth to reveal two rows of perfectly white, jagged, triangular teeth. Suddenly, a long, snakelike tongue shot out of the alicorn's mouth, latching itself on the dagger, which it began to lick clean.

The room was enveloped in silence until the larger alicorn had finished cleaning the dagger of blood. Luna finally found the courage to speak. "You are my shadows." It wasn't a question.

The black alicorn smiled. "Yes, my princess, I am. But together, we can be so much more!" Suddenly, the shadow mare's muzzle was up against Luna's, the snakelike tongue demanding entrance into the smaller alicorn's mouth.

Luna's mind reeled. She hadn't even seen the other alicorn cross the room. I shouldn't do this, was her last coherent thought before her mouth opened, and the shadows rushed in. She moaned in pleasure as they carressed every inch of her body, and her mind locked up in pleasure.

Before she passed out, she heard the other mare's voice in her head. "Now, we are Nightmare Moon."
*****

Luna's eyes flew open once more, and, for a moment, she didn't know where she was. All she knew was a deep, black terror had seized her, and she could do nothing to stop it.

The door to her room flew open, as it had that night, a millenia ago, and the guards shouted at her to stop screaming, to tell them what was wrong, to do anything but be terrified. But she could not. Because there, in the corner of the room, she had seen a mouth, with sharp teeth that shone like moonlight, grinning.
*************

"Exactly what spell was that you used back there in the throne room? The one that made it seem to come alive around us? Was it some sort of illusion spell, or Starswirl's Memory Magic number 23, or..." As Twilight continued to rattle off a list of spells and spell combinations that might have produced the illusionary effect, Nightsong's smile grew. Finally, when she stopped to breathe, he chuckled.

"No, it was none of those. You see, I was never very good with the lighter magics. That was a Shadow Memory, a spell of my own creation, though it did not come easily. Shadows are everywhere, and they see things that very few people ever get to. They remember these things, storing them in nooks and crevices where the light can never go. My spell brings these memories out into the world, and the shadows of the present become a sort of theater troupe, complete with actors and stagecrew. The shadows act out these memories, and we- ponies, I mean- see them as they happened, albeit from a shadow's point of view. The spell does take an extensive pulse of power to cast, but once it's out, it doesn't cost very much to keep it going."

Twilight pondered this for a moment. It all made sense, but, somehow, at the same time, it felt.... wrong. "So you used shadow magic?"

Nightsong's chuckle was a bit louder this time. "Let me guess, your first thought was, 'This pony is completely insane'."

"Not exactly. After having lived with Pinkie Pie so long..." Twilight glanced ahead and up at the pink party mare, who was leaping back and forth on the hall's sheer stone walls, thirty feet over their heads. Sometime during the past thirty minutes, she'd managed to put on her black spandex spy suit, and every so often, she would pull some random gadget or gismo from somewhere, or vanish into some secret passage or go through some closed door into rooms that hadn't been opened to the outside in centuries, releasing foul, putrid air into the passage that left them all coughing and gasping. And sometimes, she would just appear back in the group, talking as though she hadn't just been doing immposible feats that defied every know law of science, before vanishing once more to the ceiling above. "However, it did surprise me. And that is no easy feat," she added, grinning.

"I imagine not." Nightsong and Pinkie said at the same time. Both unicorns jumped back in surprise, lashing out with simple attack spells, Twilight's utilizing more pure power while Nightsong's seemed to be bolts of shadowy lightning. Pinkie seemed to contort her body impossibly, dodging the attacks easily.

"Pinkie!" Nightsong and Twilight yelled out at the same time, Twilight's tone seeming annoyed, while Nightsong's was more amused.

"Sorry, guys." Pinkie actually did look sorry for startling them- for about two seconds. Then, she was back to her usual self. "Anyways, I found these really cool double doors with all sorts of crazy designs on them. They were really super-duper heavy, so I couldn't open them, but I thought we should check it out, because I can't imagine what sorts of fun things-"

Nightsong cut the pink mare off with his hoof. "That's it!" He said excitedly. "The Library of the Moon Sister! They had it moved here after the original building in the city collapsed in the third Wildfire Spellwave of the war." He added, seeing Twilight's confusion. He held up his hoof to stop the group. "Alright, friends, this is it. We're about to enter the library, one of the two main target areas in the temple. I don't know what state it will be in after so long, so be prepared for anything. Let's go!"

Nightsong watched the mares move on, and was about to follow when he was stopped by a hoof. He turned to find Twilight looking at him. "Could you...Could you teach me that spell some time? When we get back, perhaps?"

Nightsong smiled and nodded, then turned to follow the others. Twilight hung back for a moment, staring after the other unicorn uncertainly. With a shrug, she plucked up her courage and followed the group down the hall.

Author's Note

Whew, took me long enough huh? Anyways, here it is! I've been debating whether to divide this up into acts, with Act One being chapters 1-5, and this being Act Two. What do you all think?

Library of the Moon Sister

"Welcome to the Library of the Moon Sister! It's been so long since we've had living visitors..." The mare's eyes glazed over momentarily, as though she were remembering better days. Suddenly, she shook her head, coming out of the past and back into the present. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Nightsong shook his head and smiled. "No, ma'am, just here to look around, thank you." He trotted off, leaving the Element bearers staring at the strange librarian.

Long, pointed ears stuck up from the mare's thick, black mane, and steaks of silver only heightened the overwhelming sense of knowledge the librarian seemed to exude. Bat-like wings were folded neatly at the mare's side. Otherwise, they could have mistaken her for a normal bat pony... if it weren't for the large fangs that still dripped blood protruding from her upper lip.

Twilight was the first to recover from the shock. "Excuse me, but... did you say living visitors?" Her voice shook a little more with each word, but she somehow managed to get through the sentence without a stutter of fear.

The vampony looked up and smiled, revealing more of her pearly white teeth. Her tongue darted out and licked the last few drops of blood from her oversized canines before she spoke. "Yes. You see, with the huge magical blast caused by the Elements of Harmony being used on Nightmare Moon, there came a perversion of the entire castle, which eventually seeped into the forest. No one is quite sure what caused it, though many speculate that it came about because of the corruption of one element bearer and then the use of that bearer's elements upon her. Whatever the reason, there was corruption, and, when the dust settled, the only thing still living within a mile of the castle was the Princess of the Sun. In anguish, Princess Celestia fled, and better that she had, for, if she hadn't, what happened next may have had more drastic consequences."

The librarian leaned in, looking for all the world like she was about to share a secret with six mares in front of her. "The dead began to rise! Zombies, liches, vampires, and more, all came about. Scared and confused, most of the intelligent undead fled to the deepest, darkest parts of the castle, where they remain, doing Luna-knows-what. Some of us stayed above, however, and looked after the castle. I chose to remain with my books, and I've recruited some zombies and a skeleton to help me. Every now and again, one of my fellows will venture in here, seeking a book on one subject or another, but mostly it's just me and the help, day in and day out, making sure the library stays living, and that the knowledge left here is not destroyed."

"So...There are... intelligent undead?" Twilight was dumbfounded.

"Of course!" The vampony seemed mildly offended for a moment.

"I apologize. I'm still getting used to the idea that undead exist at all." Twilight bowed her head in embarresment.

"Oh, it's alright. Very few ponies know anything about us. In fact, there are only about two experts on the undead in the world, and only one knows of the existance of undead."

Twilight was about to respond, when what the mare had said hit her. "How can you be an expert if you don't believe the existance of the object you study?!"

The librarian smiled. "You'd be surprised..." With that, the grey coated mare turned back to the book she had been reading, using the tip of her wing to flip the page.

Twilight, understanding she would get no more answers from this source, decided to explore the library. Her friends had already dispersed, having either been unwilling to follow their conversation, or, in Pinkie's case, unable to stay still long enough to. She followed the path Nightsong had taken, wandering deeper into an unending maze of bookshelves. For a moment, she worried she wouldn't be able to find her way back out, but she immediately dismissed the thought from her mind. If she panicked now...

Nightsong noticed the purple unicorn coming down the row towards him. He had found his way towards the back of the library, to the section of books dedicated to the castle itself. He had already pulled down a rather large stack when the other unicorn joined him. She began sorting the piles into different types, working in silence alongside him for a few moments.

One of the book titles caught the lavender mare's eye, and she stopped. "'The Temple of the Moon.'" She read out loud, roughly translating the text out of habit. "Isn't that one of the places you wanted to visit, Nightsong?"

The sudden break in the silence seemed to catch the black-coated unicorn off guard, and, for a moment, Twilight was afraid he wouldn't answer. However, he turned to her and smiled. "Yes. I'm worried, though. The priests there were the most fanatical beings in all of Equestria, and Celestia knows what kind of spells or traps could be lingering for us to fall into."

"Do you really think it will be that dangerous?" Twilight quelled the tremor in her voice. She hadn't come this far to be scared by a few thousand-year-old traps and spells.

"Not particularly, but, as we've seen, there's no telling. Better safe than sorry, I always say." Nightsong began passing books back to the purple mare, and they continued in silence.
********

Later that night, Twilight awoke in a cold sweat. They had decided to camp out in the library, the librarian having sworn to watch over them through the night. Most of the Element bearers had been reluctant to stay, but with night closing in fast, all had agreed that this was a better option than dealing with the whatever creatures haunted the outside corridors under the cover of a darkness that only the dawning of a new day could hope to banish.

The first thing she noticed was two large, blue eyes, staring out at her from beneath the cover of the sleeping bag that neighbored her own. "Twilight?" Fluttershy's voice called from beneath the makeshift cavern she had created, "Ae you alright?"

"Yes, Fluttershy, it was only a bad dream..." The lavender mare shivered as images from the nightmare rose to the surface once more. She became so lost in them that it was only when she felt a warm body slide into her admittedly-oversized sleeping bag that she was snapped out of her reverie. Startled, Twilight looked down into the shy pegesus's wide blue eyes.

"M-maybe, since w-we're both a bit, um, anxious, w-we could, uh, share a sleeping bag tonight? " Fluttershy's last few words were almost lost to the wind as she buried her muzzle in a pillow while uttering them.

Twilight smiled, her horn lighting up. Suddenly, the sleeping bag expanded, allowing room for both ponies. "Sure, Fluttershy...Thanks."

Suddenly, the lavender unicorn noticed another presence to her left. "Mind iffin' Ah joined ya'll" Applejack's voice drawled out. There was a chorus of 'Me, too!'s from all sides, and without warning, Twilight found herself the center of a group snuggle. She smiled happily, then yawned. "Thanks, girls...Goodnight." Another chorus of 'Goodnight!' answered her, and she drifted off to sleep with a content sigh.

Next door, Nightsong listened to the scene playing out in the next tent over. He felt a pang of jealousy as he heard the mares' goodnights to each other. Then he smiled. It must be nice to have such great friends...

The lone unicorn drifted off to sleep, thoughts of friendship still fresh in his mind.

Author's Note

Hey guys! Here it is! The next chapter! Not really much else to say...

I've been going back and editing previous chapters for the past few days, so...

...

Good reading!

Friendship

“I must say, Ms. Sparkle, you and your friends have the strongest friendships I have seen-,” the black unicorn hesitated, “in a long time.”

Twilight looked back to Nightsong, having been examining some signs on the wall, tilting her head in confusion . “What do you mean, Nightsong?” They had left the library that morning in high spirits, and were now on the final approach to the courtyard, where, Nightsong assured them, they would find a straight shot to the temple.

“I heard what happened last night. To have friends so willing to leap to your aid, even in the middle of the night, after a long day of exploring, reading, and avoiding the undead creatures that haunt these halls... It astounds me.” Nightsong continued walking, his eyes on the group of mares ahead of them, who were, as usual, deep in conversation over past experiences, or what they were going to do when they got back to Ponyville, or whatever happened to be on their minds at the moment.

“Of course! Is that not what friends do? Helping and supporting each other, no matter what, through thick and thin!” She paused, thinking back on past incidents that had taught her about friendships, “...most of the time.”

Nightsong smiled slightly in amusement. “I wish I had the type of friends you have, Ms. Sparkle.”

Twilight seemed to grow even more confused. “Do you not?” The conversation ahead had stopped completely, and an almost expectant hush filled the air, although Nightsong seemed not to notice.

The black unicorn's expression grew sad. “No, Ms. Sparkle. I've never been as close to anyone as you are to your friends. All the friendships I've had over the years, all the friends I've made and the ponies I've known, and all of them were never close enough to me to do what your friends did last night. Your friends, comforting you after you had a nightmare...” Nightsong's eyes seemed to glaze over, and his expression grew distant and forlorn. Twilight watched him for a while, before turning back to look at her friends.

Rainbow Dash was looking at the black unicorn with what Twilight could only describe as pity. Pinkie's eyes were full of sadness, and the others had a combination of both emotions. Twilight nodded at them, and they all rushed the red maned pony, who turned just in time to see a giggling, multicolored wall of pony rushing towards him at full tilt. He just managed an “Oh!' of surprise before the group tackled him, tangling themselves up in a giant tumbling living, laughing ball that tumbled the rest of the way down the hallway, crashing through the door at the end to wind up in the courtyard.

“Luna, please, this is ridiculous. I've had to double my guards all over, even bring out some of the reserves from the Equestrian Army, and the Element Bearers are still at the Everfree Castle! You can't have every one of your guards surrounding your rooms day and night just because you're scared! They're just ponies! They can't operate like we do!”

“With all do respect, Princess Celestia, we will stand here as long as our Princess desires.” One of the thestrals, as Luna's bat winged guards called themselves, spoke up. The Princess of the Sun recognized him as the one who had appraised her of the situation while on his way to his new post outside Luna's door.

“No, no, she's right. I'm being foalish...” Luna's voice was exhausted, as though she hadn't rested for days. And, if the reports were true, she hadn't. The Lunar princess had supposedly been pouring what power she could spare into keeping the entire Lunar wing illuminated, leaving no shadows, even in the cracks between the stones. Ever since she had woken up screaming last night, after finally falling asleep from days of no rest and constant power usage, she had left nothing to chance, and had recalled all her Lunar guards to the palace, placing them everywhere within and without the Lunar wing of the castle. Even now, Princess Celesta could see two guards within Luna's room, searching everywhere for whatever had made their princess so upset.

“But still... Tia, I know it was her. She's still trying to take me over, still trying to 'help' me, still... in here.” Luna's hoof raised to point to her head, and, almost at once, she began to collapse. As she fell, several of her guards rushed to her side, and Celestia watched as the ever-loyal guards struggled to support the ancient alicorn, feeling a mixture of awe, amusement, and pride. Not even my own guards are this loyal, she thought with a sad smile. Then again, Luna always has been able to instill loyalty better than I was. She did, after all, understand it better...

Her thoughts began to turn down a darker road then, and Celestia shook her head to clear it. “I will take my sister from here.” She stepped forward, and immediately, ten thestrals were standing before her, magical auras surrounding their weapons as they glared with a mixture of suspicion and distrust at the Goddess of the Sun.

“Let her through.” Luna's voice didn't waver now. The strength behind the command should have been beyond her, in her current state, she wouldn't be her old self until the moon rose and she could once more draw power from it. And even then, she would still be fatigued. However, there was no mistaking the tone, and, as a unit, the line of guards parted, allowing Celestia access to her sister.

“Come, Luna. You may sleep in my room with me tonight. I promise, nothing will happen while I am with you.” The Princess of the Sun walked over to Luna. Wrapping one large wing around the smaller alicorn, and placing a shoulder beneath her, she managed to pick up her sister, pulling her onto the larger alicorn's back. Without missing a beat, Celestia turned and began to walk towards her room, and the guards dispersed once more.

A large, black alicorn watched from the shadowed doorway of the Lunar Princess's room, sharp white teeth gleaming in the darkness as her electric blue eyes followed the pair down the hall.

The Order's Temple

The Courtyard of Memories sprawled out before the seven ponies. Similar to the statue garden in Canterlot, the entire area was littered with statues, benches, plants, and other paraphernalia, strategically placed to awe and inspire the ponies that had once streamed into the castle from miles around to admire the capital of Equestria and, hopefully, catch a glimpse of the Solar Princess. It appeared to have escaped destruction, as well, with everything appearing in pristine condition.

The object that caught the Element bearers attention, however, sat in the middle of the cast courtyard. Discord leered out over the courtyard, his eyes still managing to give off an air of mischief and malice even through their stony prison. He stood in the same cocky position the original Discord statue had been poised in before his release almost two months ago, and he appeared to have been the centerpiece for this garden.

Nightsong glanced at the others in the group. “Why do you all look so surprised?”

Twilight managed to tear her eyes away from the statue to face the red maned unicorn. “Why is there a Discord statue here?! Surely nopony was crazy enough to copy the original in Canterlot!” The others murmured assent followed her words, though no pony else was able to tear her eyes away from the mischievously grinning statue.

Nightsong was shaking his head even before Twilight had finished her sentence. “Of course not. Did you honestly think that statue was the only one? Even though he was completely mad, Discord was still a god, and no god is foolish enough to keep all of his power in one place! The statue in Canterlot is one of many across Equestria! It is kept close to Canterlot simply because it was the draconequus's first avatar to fall, and contained much of his power. After having dethroned the original, the princesses were forced to travel around the rest of Equestria, looking for the rest of the Chaos God's power, trapping all of his avatars in stone, sealing every last bit of the chaos god's being away . As to why this statue does not look as if it has moved in the three thousand years it has been here, I can only assume that Discord only managed to gain his power from the one statue before being once more defeated and turned to stone.”

The six mares shared a glance before sighing in relief. “Ah think Ah speak fer everypony when I say: Thank Celestia! One Discord was bad enough!” Applejack's voice rang out of the clamor of voices that had once more taken hold of the group. Nightsong chuckled before turning his head back to the north and beginning to walk towards the opposite end of the courtyard.

*******

“And now, we're finally here...” Nightsong's voice was a whisper, filled with a mixture of awe, relief, and fear.

The doors to the temple's inner sanctum were set into the side of a rather impressive pyramid. While not large by pyramid standards, being only three stories high, the structure was still quite a feet of engineering due to the composition of the exterior. The walls of the pyramid consisted of a type of black stone that seemed to soak up light, only allowed a small amount of daylight reflect off of it's surface in small dots, giving the impression of a piece of the night sky having fallen to earth in the center of the eastern courtyard.

The only exception to this stood in front of the group. The open eye set on the moon, the symbol of the New Moon priesthood, had been placed in full relief on the front of two stoat oak doors. The moon, done entirely in diamond, shone brightly in the noon day sun, while the eye had been done in black glass and fused to the diamond structure, which had, in turn, been magically fused to the wooden doors. Which presented a bit of a problem...

“There are no door handles,” Rainbow Dash said incredulously after spending several moments in silence with the others, going over every inch of the doors. Finally, the cerulean pegasus gave a scream of frustration, and she threw herself at the door, shoving with all of her might. “Why won't these damn things open?!”

Applejack quickly roped the angry pegasus, pulling her down to earth so that the group could stop her from hurting herself, as they had seen the easily frustrated mare do before. Meanwhile, Nightsong continued to examine the pyramid, his eyes darting over the surface of the architectural marvel, taking in each crack and crevasse.

Suddenly, a growling sound, originating from behind him, made the black unicorn jump. He turned, only to bump muzzles with Twilight, from whom the growling sound had emanated, or, more precisely, her stomach. As she rubbed her nose, Twilight attempted to explain, “We were going to set up camp here, since sunset is only two hours away. That way, we have all night to figure out how to open the temple-,” another growl interrupted her speech, and a blush appeared on her face, “-and, perhaps, get something to eat?”

Nightsong chuckled, then turned back to the doors, frowning slightly. “The only way to open this is at night. The Elders were very specific on that. Otherwise, they knew nothing of the operation of the temple or what may lie within after more than a thousand years of it having lain abandoned. They could only tell me where I would find the information I sought.” Nightsong lifted his hoof to point to the top of the pyramid. “There is a single large room at the top of this pyramid that housed all of the Order's knowledge, as well as the Head Priest.”

Rainbow Dash sighed in despair and flopped onto her side. “More walking?” She groaned. The other ponies stared at her for a moment, before breaking into fits of laughter that echoed through the courtyard.

Author's Note

Hey, guys, sorry that this took so long to crank out. I hope that I still have readers at this point. Sorry for the filler chapter. The next one should be pretty actiony though, so stay tuned!

Open Doors

Luna smiled as she felt her magic embrace the familiar coolness of the moon as she raised it high in the evening sky. Every object in the universe had it's own feel to it, both magically and physically, and while those attributes were not always the same, if you had touched the object enough times, you could almost identify it by the texture, and the Lunar Princess and her moon had become quite familiar with each other in the several millennia they had shared, and now her moon was almost as much of a comfort to her as a teddy bear would be to a foal, or a mother's embrace to her offspring.

She was still smiling when she turned around, only to gasp in shock as she bumped into something solid. She stumbled backwards, before summoning up her best glare and regal pose and turning to face whatever had impeded her progress back into her own room.

In the doorway to her room stood a large unicorn stallion, hidden by the darkness that never left her chambers. His large rose colored eyes seemed to stare deep into her being, glowing brightly in the darkness. “Your majesty, I apologize for intruding, but once I had heard that you had summoned me, I came to you as fast I my hooves could carry me.” The stallion bowed low, and for a moment his face was revealed in the moonlight.

“Ah, yes, Nightsong.” The alicorn relaxed once she recognized the stallion, and, in fact, her body began to feel warmer. Instinct began to take over, and Luna's eyes greedily took in the unicorn's body as she sauntered over, her hooves making loud clacking noises in the silence that now reigned over the scene.

The stallion's body was shaking with fear as he listened to the Princess's approach, his head still bowed to the floor. The alicorn reached him, standing tall to tower above the terrified musician. “Nightsong Redtail, rise.” Luna commanded, her voice, though barely a whisper, still managing to echo in the dark silence of the room.

Nightsong rose, still shaking, expecting to be destroyed where he stood. Luna's electric blue eyes glared down at him, her mouth set in a hard line. “Now, Nightsong, you would do anything to serve your Princess, would you not?” Nightsong nodded in response, too scared to form any words.

Suddenly, the Lunar Princess's mouth was on his, her tongue demanding entrance, probing at his lips in an effort to force them open. Stunned, Nightsong could only part his lips, closing his eyes and barely containing a moan as Luna's tongue began it's dance with his. He felt the Lunar Princess start pushing him back, and suddenly, his back was on soft material-her bed, he thought- with the larger alicorn atop him, her hooves running down his body, exploring, looking for-

“Luna!”

Celestia's voice managed to pierce the veil into the Lunar Princess's dream, waking her from her slumber. “Luna!” she called again as the younger princess slowly opened her eyes and sat up, yawning.

“Yes, dear sister?” Luna called out, noticing that Celestia was no longer beside her on the bed, as she had been when the dark blue alicorn had fallen asleep.

“It is time for you to raise the moon, Lulu!” Celestia called out before emerging from her bathroom. Her mane was still wet from the shower she had taken, and a bright yellow robe covered her body, keeping the chill fall air from her wet fur.

Luna shook her drowsiness off, rising from her sister's bed to stand on her own four hooves, steady now for the first time in days. “Thank you, dear sister. We cannot neglect our duties.” The younger alicorn trotted over to her sister's balcony, where Celestia rose and lowered the sun every day. She took hold of the moon, once more relishing it's feel, before giving it the nudge it would need to begin it's trip through the night sky again tonight, even as she watched her sister's sun slowly sunk below the horizon, it's final rays fighting a valiant but inevitably futile battle against the ever-encroaching darkness of night, turning the sky into a beautiful canvas for the different colors that they created, beautiful purples and oranges and reds that melted together, flowing into one another before finally disappearing altogether.

Luna turned to find her sister smiling at her, her eyes alight with a mixture of happiness and mischief. “Someone is certainly happy tonight! Is my sister finally getting over her fears?”

“Whatever has given thee the idea that I am happy?” Luna demanded.

Celestia's smile only grew wider. “Oh, I don't know. Could it be the fact that you were practically dancing across the room just a few moments ago?” The Solar Princess moved to sit in one of the two giant red chairs that sat in front of the massive fireplace in her room. Luna moved to sit in the other one, even as Celestia stuck a mocking thoughtful pose. “Or perhaps the fact that you're humming Beethooven's fifth in it's entirety? Ah, I've got it!” The Princess of the Sun launched herself out of her chair, her hoof flung high into the air, forcing Luna to stumble into the other chair instead of sitting gracefully as she had intended. “It's the fact that you've been smiling as though someone has just given you the best birthday present you've ever received since you woke up!”

Luna realized then that she had indeed been smiling, somehow without realizing it, and set about attempting to control her facial muscles once more.

Right then, there was a knock at the large double doors that marked the entrance into Celestia's room. Both princesses looked to the doorway as a small white unicorn pony with a gray green mane walked in, toting two large rolling carts filled with platters covered by silver domes.

“Ah, that's right. I meant to tell you that I ordered us dinner before I woke you. I hope you don't mind, Lulu.” Celestia motioned the pony to bring the carts over.

“Your dinner, Princesses.” The unicorn stopped the carts, then bowed low. Celestia thanked him, then allowed him to rise and leave, before removing the top from one of the platters and beginning on the salad beneath, motioning for Luna to do the same.

Luna sat in silence for a few moments, watching the fire crackle and spit, deep in though over her dream of the last night. Something about it was bothering her, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it... With a sigh, she took the top from another of the platters, taking up her fork and stabbing it into the fruit salad that lay beneath.

Two large stone doors stood open like the maw of a waiting monster. No sound emitted from within the temple, and only darkness seemed to lay within.

“This is it, my friends,” Nightsong announced, lighting his horn, “the Temple of the Order of the New Moon.”

Wonders and Horrors

As soon as they got inside, the ponies could see why the entrance had seemed so black, even in the light from Nightsong's horn. The entire entrance hall was black with soot, and the smell of cooked meat was still thick in the air after more than a thousand years, making them all gag and cover their noses as it forced them back into the clean air for a moment. Finally, Nightsong managed to brace himself for another trip inside, only to be stopped by moaning.

Seven zombponies, three in what could only have once been the armor of the Solar Army, shambled from the darkness of the temple. They barely resembled ponies, however. What cloth there had been on their bodies was long since gone, and any metal they had had on when they died had fused to their skin, or what skin had been protected by the searing heat that had killed them, at any rate. Their heads were nothing but skulls, with bits of rotten cooked meat hanging off here and there, and even the bones that showed through where skin should have been were partially melted. The had no weapons, and they were unable to walk properly as the joints that had served them in life were now fused, making single pieces of bone where there should not have been. Only able to move by rocking forward and back until they got somewhere, the zombies attempted to make for the group, even more slowly than the zombies they had fought earlier, and unable to have the bursts of speed, either.

Everypony in the group recoiled in horror and pity at the sight of the deformed zombies. Nightsong used his magic to knock them over, watching in pity and disgust as they attempted to right themselves unsuccessfully, their jaws, which had somehow remained operable, clacking loudly in the silence. The black unicorn's horn glowed, and seven large red ethereal swords appeared over the zombponies' heads,poised to remove them from this plane forever. As the blades fell, he heard several gasps and sobs from behind him, even as the undead horrors twitched their last, the red light going from their eyes. Nightsong turned to see the Elements huttled together, staring in shock at the dead creatures, tears flowing from their faces.

“I put them out of their misery,” he explained, and they each nodded, though it was still several minutes before any of them managed to contain her emotions and follow him into the temple.

Twilight was actually the first to recover, which surprised her immensely. Noticing that Nightsong was no longer with them, she cast bubble shields over herself and her friends to keep in the fresh night air as they went inside, instead of having to smell the awful stenches that made their homes in the halls and rooms of the temple. Taking a deep breath the steady herself, she started trotting towards the temple, smiling as her confidence returned with the soft clopping of hooves behind her indicating her friends were following.

Twilight gasped in amazement. They had caught up to Nightsong on the other side of the blackened area of the temple. Whatever spell had been used, while powerful, was obviously not a far-ranged spell. Ten feet of hallway in the entrance had been burnt and blackened by it, but beyond that, there was no evidence of the spell. That was not what had caught Twilight's attention, however.

On the ceiling of the hallway, dancing and moving seemingly without regard for the fact that they weren't even supposed to be there, were thousands upon billions of stars, swirling through the cosmic colors that had, for millions of years, signaled the Milky Way to those who had embraced the night sky. Instead of moving in a uniform pattern, however, these stars seemed to move randomly, albeit still with regards to the laws of the universe, judging by how they flung each other across vast distances. Twilight's eyes devoured the scene, and eventually, some movement caught her eyes. Moving through the vast galaxy of stars was what appeared to be a small bear made entirely of stars. Twilight stared for a few moments, and finally realized what she was seeing. “Is that...An Ursa?” she asked quietly, not daring to move.

Nightsong followed her gaze, and smiled when he saw it. “Fascinating, isn't it? The Order was formed to serve our Lunar Princess, and her first decree when she heard that was that must also protect her beautiful night. Since then, not only have we worked to bring the glory of the night into the world, but we have also cared for the night and her creatures.” He pointed to another shape, bounding across the star filled ceiling. “This ceiling was created to remind us of our duties. However, as ponies took it upon themselves to hunt down the Celestial creatures, it also became a refuge for them, one where they could live without fear if they so chose.” He glanced back at the burned portion of the hallway, frowning at the blackened, starless expanse that had probably also once contained the miniature galaxy. “It is such a shame that it did not remain that way.” He noticed a pink blur bouncing in the corner of his eye, and turned to look.

Pinkie was bouncing in place on the stone floor, attempting to reach and touch the stars with each jump. Each time, she seemed to get a little closer, until finally she managed to touch one... And yowled with pain.

Her friends rushed to her side, each voicing their concern over her injury. Nightsong stood back to admire their friendship once more before stepping forward, pulling a medical kit out of his bag with his magic. “Be careful. That is not an illusion. It is an actual miniature galaxy of stars, and it does hold its own dangers if one is not careful.” He finished applying a burn ointment he had pulled from the kit, stepping back as bandages wound themselves around Pinkie's hoof, sealing in the ointment and giving the pink pony something to stand on instead of the burn. Suddenly, his ears flickered, hearing something the others missed, and he turned towards the first turn in the hallways. “We should get going.” He declared, galloping off to the left turn and disappearing around the corner.

The Elements looked amongst themselves for a moment, confusion plain on their faces, before they all got up to follow the black unicorn deeper into the temple.