Herald of the Night

Chapters

Prologue: A Message to Deliver
Chapter One: Walking in the Dark
Chapter Three: Upon Wings of Starlight
Chapter Four: Arrival and Apples
Chapter Five: Forests and Ruins
Interlude: A Treatise on the Lunar Kingdom, Part One, By Twilight Sparkle
Chapter Six: Books and Visions
Chapter Seven: Forgotten Keys
Chapter Eight: Complications
Chapter Nine: To Canterlot!
Chapter Ten: Danger on the Ponyville Express
Interlude: A Treatise on the Lunar Kingdom, Part Two, By Twilight Sparkle
Chapter Eleven: Captain of the Royal Guard
Chapter Twelve: The Marked Ones
Chapter Thirteen: Strange Mares and Hidden Stairs
Chapter Fourteen: Secret Societies
Chapter Two: Explanations and Expectations

Prologue: A Message to Deliver

Herald of the Night

Prologue: A Message to Deliver

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land...

The lavender unicorn's eyes idly scanned the words upon the page as the book levitated in the glow of her magical levitation. She had read the words many times before during her numerous sojourns into the vast archive contained within the Luminus Castle. Of course, she had most of the library to herself, Twilight being one of the few ponies both priveleged and interested enough to be granted access to the largest compendium of knowledge on the bright side of the Moon.

The book snapped shut, Twilight's eyes glancing out the window at the massive floating orb of Equus. The ever-present reminder that they weren't alone. Many thousands of miles away (only Princess Luna could really say for sure. She had a habit of changing the position of the Moon just to mess with the astronomers who were eternally trying to measure the distance with their mathematics. Those who said that their ruler had no sense of humour obviously had never met the Lunar Alicorn in the flesh before), there were ponies frolicking in the sun, swimming in the ponds and wandering through the forests. From here, those features were mere blobs of green and blue, even when viewed through a telescope, of which there were many in Luna's domain.

But Twilight didn't envy them. In fact, she almost pitied the ponies of Equestria for not being able to see the Stars as the Lunar Ponies did. Though a large portion of the Moon's surface lacked the comfortable amenities of the 'soft, coddled' Equestrians, under Luna's rule, those that had followed her into her self-imposed exile had thrived upon the moon's surface, under the protection of her mighty magic, which was even more powerful in proximity to her heavenly charge upon which they stood. There were cities, schools, roads. All shielded from the airless and cold environs of the pale surface of the planet's satellite. Even gravity was maintained, to an extent, in the larger cities.

Sure... maybe it got a bit too chilly on some nights when Luna was seeing over a particularly annoying session of court...

But the Stars were fantastic.

"Twilight Sparkle?" came a voice from behind. Inquisitive. Unsure, perhaps a bit nervous. Twilight turned to see a teal pegasus stallion peering cautiously around a stack of books. One of many stacks arranged in a ring around Twilight's study desk.

"Yes?" Twilight responded, floating the book back into the saddlebags which bore her cutie mark - a full moon radiating five lines of small, white stars - and turning towards the newcomer.

"P-Princess Luna wishes to see you. S-She says it's important. Wouldn't say what it was about," the pegasus said, stammering out his message.

"The Princess?!" Luna usually left Twilight to her own devices when there were no important tasks that needed to be done. Twilight had actually only just got back yesternight from bearing a sealed missive to the mayor of Craterville, and Luna didn't just summon Twilight for any small task. Without a moments hesitation, Twilight nodded in gratitude to the messenger, hefted her saddlebags and took off running, magic already spiralling its way up her horn, which began to shine like the brightest moonlight before she vanished in a flash and appeared in the gardens, comprised of many large, intricately carved moon rocks, outside the Throne Room.

After taking a moment to compose herself, she took a deep breath and knocked on the large doors (Familiarity with royalty was not license for bad manners) which opened with a pale blue aura. The Princess sat upon her throne, alone in the tall, white hall, lined with dark blue tapestries. No guards were in sight. In fact, Luna seemed to be the only pony in the building at the moment, gazing out of one of the large windows, much like Twilight had been doing before receiving her summons. Upon the lavender unicorn's arrival, her melancholy expression sprouted a small smile.

"Twilight. Come here, please. I apologise for the brevity of my summons, but I have a mission of the utmost importance and you are the only one I trust to carry it out: I'm sending you to Equestria."

The unicorn's jaw would have hit the floor if not for the fact that it was securely attached to her face. "Wh-What?" Twilight blurted, books already flying out of her saddlebags and floating before her. "But I've checked! There's no way back! You said it yourself hundreds of years ago when the final portal closed!"

Luna looked almost embarrassed. "I may have... garbled the truth, perhaps. It is closed to me and to many of my subjects. But I've found that certain ponies of sufficient magical properties can still be sent over, with the proper rituals. That eliminates our Moon Ponies* as candidates, and I've already dismissed sending a Pegasus due to their inevitable difficulty in adapting to flying in a normal-gravity environment."

"But that still leaves any number of unicorns."

"A very small number of unicorns, actually." Luna said, shifting on her throne to relieve some stiff muscles. It came across almost as an impatient squirm. Then again, it may have been just that, given the current conversation. "And you are one of the few that I have found to have sufficient power to do so and who also has my trust. We have many ponies in our kingdom, Twilight Sparkle, but few friends. Fewer who would risk such an undertaking."

"Umm.... alright... I suppose...." Twilight murmured, "But that still doesn't explain how I'm supposed to get there, if I agree to go, that is." she continued, kicking a hoof awkwardly at the ground.

Luna's expression grew into one of amused mischief, "Ah... that's where it gets complicated... Actually, no. Fairly simple. Come! I shall explain on the way!"

Twilight tried very hard not to imagine that this would involve her getting hurled out into space before an insistent pale blue aura tugged her swiftly off down the hall.

Author's Note

Had this idea earlier today and... *shrugs* No idea if anyone's done this before, so don't stone me if someone.. erm... somepony has beaten me to the punch. Of course, keep an eye out for any errors in the 'person-to-pony' terms that I may have missed... I still don't have the habit down just yet. This chapter seems a bit.... off to me, but that's probably just the problem I have with cliffhangers. More will be explained in the next chapter. And if you don't mind.... if you're going to downvote, at least tell me why you are doing so, so I can improve.

* - Moon Ponies. Yes, Moon Ponies. Earth Ponies just didn't seem to be the right term after a thousand years of living on the moon.

Chapter One: Walking in the Dark

Herald of the Night

Chapter One: Walking in the Dark

Luna gracefully made her way down the hall at a brisk walk while Twilight trotted after her, shorter legs attempting to keep up with the Princess' longer ones. Taking a left turn and continuing down a second hall, the blue alicorn began to speak. "What you said earlier was true. The bridges between my kingdom and Equus have long since decayed or been sealed by my Celestia in the thousand years since I saw her last. But this is not the only, final way to travel hence from my kingdom. There are... other ways. Secret ways. Cracks in the wall, as it were. That a mouse might fit through."

Luna stopped for a moment, pausing before looking down at Twilight, who was making use of the momentary reprieve from the brisk pace to catch her breath, "Not that you are a mouse, Twilight Sparkle. Far from it. But my my sister might not think that I might allow one of my precious ponies to wander into potentially hostile lands, if she's anything like I remember."

To be honest, Luna wasn't sure how Celestia would have changed after all these years. The Alicorn of the Night wouldn't be the first to admit it, but she, herself, had changed in the millennium since the two Princess had gone through a particularly vicious falling-out. Centuries of caring for the few - yet steadily increasing in number- ponies under her rule had softened her rough, jagged edges that had once severed the ties between herself and her Solar counterpart. Shaking her head to clear it, ethereal mane blowing in the non-existent wind, Luna continued on.

Twilight opened her mouth to inquire something, but Luna was already moving again, prompting the lavender unicorn to once more take up her quick pace. Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Left. Ever down, down, down. Twilight wasn't sure where they were going, them having, a while back, left her well-trod paths in the castle. The only thing she was sure of was that they were going down.

"Princess? If I may ask...?" Twilight began, looking curiously up at the alicorn that she was following, moving easily with long strides.

"Ask what, Twilight Sparkle? Where we are going, perhaps?"

"Umm... yes. I've never been in this part of the castle before..." Twilight said, looking around at the growing gloom. Torches that had once regularly been ensconced upon the walls were now less frequent and burning less brightly. A gentle flow of magic illuminated the horn upon her brow to assist her in seeing where they were going and preventing the embarrassment of tripping over one's own hooves or - perish the thought - Luna's silver-clad ones.

"We left the castle twelve turns and a staircase ago, my little pony. We are now in the Old City. The original home of my Lunar Ponies before we expanded outwards and built Luminus atop our origins. Forgotten to most, remembered only by the dead and myself... And now, you, for however briefly before you depart." Luna said with a kind, patient smile, "I do not expect you will see them again, unless you choose to revisit these dusty corridors upon your return. There is a wealth of archaeological knowledge down here in the Deep, but I doubt you'll want to brave the dark. It is less comforting than the Stars that you are so fond of and the void in which they shine."

"Oh, I see..." Twilight said, plodding along on in silence for a few moments, "What are we looking for?"

"You seek answers. I seek forgiveness. Perhaps a little redemption. But to answer your question literally, we are seeking the Old Gate. The original point upon which I arrived here on my Moon." Luna remarked, looking around a passage, her horn flashing to light the torches along a passage ahead before turning herself to lead the way down the hall, "The gates through which I brought my followers may have been sealed, but the Old Gate may still have enough magic in it to slip a unicorn in through, with some encouragement on my part."

Luna halted as they arrived at the end of a long hallway. A door, darker than ebony and inlaid with intricate silver etchings, blocked their path. Placing a hoof on the door and squaring her stance to brace herself, the alicorn brushed her horn along the seal. A faint glow arose along the ancient carvings until the door glowed so brightly that its intensity seemed to be competing with the surrounding gloom that sought to swallow everything. The door pulsed with this light and then, with a hiss and clank that echoed down the hallways, creaked open. Then, turning to Twilight, Luna said in the gentlest voice she could muster, "Now... please don't panic..."

Author's Note

Short, yes, I know. The first chapters will be... Or maybe I'll just opt for short chapters every few days until I get into the good stuff. Either way... *tips top hat* I shall see you in a few days.
*Edit 7/16/17* Going through and updating some of this content to make it flow smoother in preparation for me releasing more chapters*

Chapter Three: Upon Wings of Starlight

Herald of the Night

Chapter Three: Upon Wings of Starlight

It began like a whisper as Twilight floated amid the void between worlds, the stars shining from the endless, black expanse. Each hoofstep created a ripple in their light, creating a twinkling effect as they shone their light down upon the unicorn that intruded upon paths that were not meant for mortal ponies.

Yet, all this was seen and experienced as through a veil. Twilight could feel a warmth surrounding her - Luna's protection - slowly bleeding off the farther she trod away from the glowing aperture behind her - the doorway home - and towards the pinprick of brighter-than-white light far in the distance ahead. Her destination.

The lights began to blur. Trails emanated from them, creating a whirlwind of streaks across an otherwise darkened night. The Moon and Equus as constants, warping reality with their very being. She could... feel them. Solid they were, but not... real. Extensions of their masters' wills. Beyond the planet, a glaring light. Too bright to see, but still, yet, beyond. Constructs. Made from magic, perhaps.

All in that moment, the significance washed down upon the small unicorn that tread among the hoofprints of deities.

The trailing lights shining forth from the stars spiraled before her, a path revealing itself from the void. A shimmering road leading her forward. It twisted and turned. Upside down and sideways. Always turning, never ceasing, always bright in its gleaming.

The whispers grew. Faint voices now.

She was cold now. Accelerating. An icy chill rose upon her back, but she dared not look back. Each step carried her forward. Faster and faster. Were her hooves still touching the road? Was it still a road? It seemed all around her. A tunnel, now, as the planet grew closer.

Come to us...

A tugging... off to the side.

A compulsion. Twilight began to waver, her eyes drifting into the void, white creeping in from the edges of her vision.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!

Were the stars always so close? Her back felt strange. Where was Equus now?

Join us... take what we offer...

Offer? What were they offering?

Something brushed against her side. Twilight chanced a glance backwards. Shimmering trails shone from her back, spreading out to either side. Facsimiles of wings...

Be like her... and fulfill your dreams...

"Twilight!"

A whole galaxy at your disposal. Who needs them?

The universe... or her people.

There was only one real choice.

Tears in her eyes, she turned away from that endless void. From those stars that seemed close enough to reach out and touch with a hoof. Endless power... Knowledge older than time...

Equus was large once more. Growing ever larger, easily noticeable now. The wings vanished. The going much harder than it had been.

The world turned white.

In the dark before the dawn, a shimmering star appeared in the sky. Falling.

Falling...

Light began creeping over the horizon. A small arch of sunlight...

With a brilliant flash, a column of light of the purest silver pierced the heavens and struck the earth like the hoof of a Goddess, throwing up dust and carving out the ground in a wide radius.

And for a moment, all was still. Dust lingering in the air, trees half-out of the ground and floating.

Descending in that ray of moonlight-made-solid was a hunched figure. Curled into a ball and shivering.

The light brought it down to rest, gently as a mother would her own foal, laying it down in the midst of all the destruction.

The Sun rose, and all this was gone.

Author's Note

One of my weirder chapters... got a little existential there for a bit. Wouldn't blame people for raising their eyebrow. Short, but still important. Will explain.

Chapter Four: Arrival and Apples

Herald of the Night

Chapter Four: Arrival and Apples

The huddled, trembling form that was Twilight Sparkle lay amid the destruction that arose by way of her spectacular arrival. Her eyes, which were only now beginning to regain sight from the blinding light, could make out a dwindling, shrinking circle of white light directly above her: The Old Gate. Within moments, it was gone and the last remnant of the warmth of Luna's power was gone, leaving the lavender unicorn all alone.

She tried to stand, but found herself unable. Her body, still recovering from the ordeal of traversing the heavens, refused to accede to her demands. All she could do was do a mental checklist to make sure she was still in one piece before laying there and trying to calm down and rein her body back into her control.

What in Luna's name was that? was the first coherent thought Twilight's scattered mind could summon up. What she'd seen had terrified her... and had excited her. She had come that close to abandoning the mission and following that ethereal song into the void. Was that what the Princess was warning me about? Are the stars... evil?

With this question echoing over and over in her mind, Twilight passed out.

Luna winced at the question, her starry mane floating in the ethereal wind, "Not 'evil', Twilight... Not really. It would be unfair to call them evil as a whole. Misguided, perhaps. Most are benign, but undoubtedly powerful. There is a reason that the Elements are such a force to be reckoned with."

The two of them stood in Twilight's dreamscape, surrounded by what looked to be a great dome, light filtering down through a hole in the apex and illuminating the duo in its pale, silvery light. Faint silhouettes of bookcases lined along the base of the high-arching structure's round walls.

"Then what happened up there?" Twilight said, having calmed down significantly after being told that she hadn't been pulled back to the Moon to be punished for failure.

"They saw a being through which they could act. Learn. Exist. I told you I couldn't protect you entirely from them and they saw their chance to sink their influence into someone who was inexperienced in dealing with their powers. For the last thousand years, the only ponies they have had the chance to reach out to have been myself and my sister. And we, having used the Elements of Harmony, were immune to their seductive strength. You, however, must have a desire or potential for great power, else they would not have bothered."

Luna smiled kindly and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. More for effect than actual physical touch, which could not be felt here, "You showed great fortitude in refusing them. I am proud of you."

Twilight felt a sweeping warmth at the praise. Though it wasn't the first time that Twilight had completed a task for her ruler, she still felt a great pride at pleasing her Princess.

"Thank you, Princess. Where do I go from here?" Twilight inquired, looking up at Luna.

Luna nodded and her horn glowed. Suddenly, the chamber was gone and they stood upon a cloud high above a strange land. Strange in the way that it wasn't a pock-marked plain upon the Moon. There were rolling hills of grass below their hooves, a winding road or two within easy sight. A forest far off to the left and, in the distance ahead of them, an orchard with a worn-out barn.

"This is the land in which you find yourself, Twilight Sparkle." the Princess said, gesturing, "At least, as much as we can determine with my telescope and with the stars grudgingly granting their view of the countryside. You landed, and are currently located, on the edge of the forest over there. Deeper into the Everfree, there is the castle in which are housed the expended shells of the Elements of Harmony. Upon awakening, I recommend you get moving immediately. The Everfree is dangerous after dark and you should gain some ground while you can. Not to mention, you might have been seen while descending."

Luna looked almost nervous. "I... would keep your origins a secret, Twilight. While I have not allowed my sister's memory to be tainted, she might not have done the same. Ponies of the Lunar Kingdom may not be received kindly. Try to gather information about the ponies in the area, if possible, but try to avoid giving them too much in return."

Twilight nodded. "Anything else, Princess?"

Luna reached out, a worried expression on her face. "Be safe, Twilight Sparkle. I wish to make peace with my sister, but I do not wish to do so at anypony else's cost."

Around them, the scenery began to melt, blur and blend together into a shapeless haze.

"Yes, Princess Luna. I'll be careful. I promise."

Twilight awoke slowly, to her dismay, to a low rumble of multiple worried voices.

"Do ya think she's alright?" said a filly's high-pitched voice.

"Not sure, sugarcube. Look at all this damage she done." said an older mare.

"But if she did all this damage, why is she asleep?" The filly again.

"Well, maybe somepony attacked her, or she tired herself out with some spell. She's a unicorn, in case y'all haven't noticed."

"But who would-"

"Applebloom! Hush now!" said a deep male voice. A stallion. Big one, by the sound of him.

Twilight opened her eyes, blinking.

"She's wakin' up!"

Twilight's still-hazy eyes registered three blurs in the morning light. A large red one, a medium-sized orange one and, behind the two, a small yellow one with something red on its head. With a few blinks, these resolved into a large red-furred stallion with an orange mane, an orange mare with a blonde mane and a small yellow filly with a red mane, each with freckles aplenty.

"Umm... hello there..." Twilight said cautiously. For the first time noticing the rampant destruction around her. Trees were uprooted, the ground dug up in all directions and, not least of all, herself laying in a small crater. It was no wonder that she had been found. "Has anyone seen my saddlebags?"

"Really?" the orange mare asked, raising an eyebrow, "That's the first thing you're gonna ask?"

"Yes?" Twilight said, slowly rising to her hooves. Maybe she could make a run for it... Or maybe make an emergency teleportation. She hadn't got the spell down perfectly, having only come across it passingly in a library book of advanced spellcasting, but maybe she could get at least out of sight. She started to slowly back up, looking around. She still remembered Luna's warning about the local ponies. The orange mare saw and approached.

"Whoa there, nelly. First you're gonna tell us who you are and what you're doing in what looks like the one of Pinkie's parties gone awry. Now, you'd better tell the truth or else I'll tell the Mayor."

Twilight opened her mouth without thinking, an honest answer right on the tip of her tongue before she caught herself.

Wait... what just happened?

The compulsion had almost overwhelmed her own will. A chill ran down her spine.

A power misused... Honesty. I've gotta get out of here. I can't deal with the power of an Element right now. Not without the shell to contain it. Her horn glowed fiercely as she began focusing hard on the spell and the location: Anywhere but where she was. The stallion and mare pounced at her, only to have her vanish right before their very eyes.

Author's Note

Not exactly an exciting chapter, but definitely one that is enlightening.

I'll be receiving questions about the Lunar Kingdom if any are interested in utilizing it anywhere. Once I get enough questions, I'll put up a chapter containing my answers to the best of my ability (without spoilers).

Chapter Five: Forests and Ruins

Herald of the Night

Chapter Five: Forests and Ruins

In the dark shadows of the Everfree Forest, predators lurked in the gloom. Luminous plants peeked out from between the roots of the ever-entwining trees, which were gnarled and almost seemed to reach out for any unwary trespassers. Namely: Ponies.

There was a reason the Everfree had the reputation it did.

Well, two reasons, really. The first was because it was downright dangerous. Poisonous plants, murderous creatures and violent... well... everything. It was a death trap, mutated and warped by the fearsome magics of Discord from a bygone era. Tall, welcoming trees offering cool shade from a long, sunny day became fearsome, grappling branches emanating dark shadows that swallowed up all that touched them.

Yet another thing the Moon had over Equestria. No dangerous, cursed places. Just.... dead... grey landscape, as well as the occasional interesting crater.

The second reason was, to discourage explorers, the rumor perpetuated by Celestia herself over a thousand years ago, that the forest was cursed. The magics of Discord pretty much made the rumor true, but that was beside the point. In order to keep the Elemental Husks safe from treasure hunters, there had to be a deterrent. And there was. A strong magical one.

And it was into this forest that Twilight Sparkle had sent herself.

A flash of light was the only sign of her arrival as she tumbled to the ground amid those darkened forest paths. All pretense of locational awareness was lost as the forest seemed to sense her presence and move in towards her. Twilight blinked and, without the same sort of delays that caused her to be discovered in the first place, began to take stock of what she had with her and what she'd already learned.

Alright. fact one: The Lunar and Equestrian Tongues seem to have developed along similar lines. I could detect no confusion in that brief conversation over what was being said. Twilight thought to herself. Understandably, really, given that both Lunar ponies and Equestrian ponies came from a common grouping a thousand years previously. It made sense that they would develop similar languages, aside from a few figures of speech that were lunar-specific.

Fact number two: I'm stranded in the middle of a dark and dangerous forest, my saddlebags are missing - presumed captured - and I've already been discovered by stellar magic in the hooves of a pony that has no magical experience. Much less a resistance to its seductive powers. True, it was still a blessing that it had been claimed by an Earth Pony instead of a unicorn who could legitimately abuse its power. The most a pony like that could do was make hefty suggestions that appealed to the inner consciousness of the pony that power was directed towards, but the sooner she could extract that power back into its shell, the better.

Twilight glanced skyward. High above the darkened eaves of the trees around her, she could see a blue sky, darkened by clouds, with a bright sphere - the sun - above it all. Its warmth failed to reach her through the Everfree leaves, but the light was still enough to see by, barely.

Rising to her hooves for what felt like - finally - a time upon which she was doing it by her own volition, Twilight lit her horn up to provide what light she needed to see her way through the underbrush. If her panicked teleportation had been accurate, she should be at least vaguely in the vicinity of the Everfree Castle: her destination.

With a sigh at so many disruptions so early, Twilight set out, hoping to find the castle and the surrounding ruins. Maybe she could take shelter there and set up camp amid those ancient buildings.

It was beginning to grow dark once more before the mare discovered any signs of the ancient capitol of the Royal Pony Sisters. Crumbling stone walls marked the one-time boundary of the city. Tree roots had overgrown the fallen stones. Those that had yet to fall were only forestalled in their inevitable downward motion by the tightly-knit weave of vines that clambered all over the decrepit construct.

Through the ancient arch Twilight trotted, eyes warily darting to and fro. Making sure to keep an eye out for any possible denizens of the now-destroyed city. Before her lay an abandoned city. Ancient. Overgrown. But despite all this, it was still largely intact. Many buildings held the potential for sites to make camp and to be used as a base of operations.

In the distance, there arose several tall spires. A large, ancient palace of many rooms, halls and towers that stood tall across a bridged chasm, which was spanned by a rotten, likely-to-fall-out-from-under-one's-own-hooves, rickety bridge. She made a note to avoid using that bridge if possible.

Of course, most of Twilight's possessions were now in the hooves of those Earth Ponies. She didn't have much to store or even use for an extended stay, even if these buildings turned out to be hospitable...

"Oh, is this a pony that I see, in the secret heart of the Everfree?" came a richly-accented, bemused voice. Twilight nearly leapt out of her skin, her illuminated horn sparking and going out as Twilight's hooves shot out from underneath her.

Twilight looked up to see a white, black-striped equine mare - a zebra - decorated with golden bangles and rings around one of her hooves and around her neck. Adorning the back of her head in place of a normal mane was a rigidly-standing stripe that mirrored her striped complexion. Strapped across her back - hanging above the squiggly glyph that sat where one's cutie marks would have been, had she been a pony - was a sling that was meant for the spear grasped in the zebra's hooves. Seeing Twilight's surprise and growing panic, she spoke again, "This zebra does apologise, I did not wish to prompt surprise. Zecora wishes not for your life to end. She wished to greet you as a friend. For I know of the objects that you seek, for I have awaited you for this past week."

"Wait..." Twilight asked in confusion, still edgy about that spear. "You knew I was coming... Zecora?"

Zecora nodded, "I knew that you would be coming soon, oh great Envoy of the Moon. The Prophecies have surely spoken true, so I knew to be expecting you. This zebra will aid you in your quest, and she will give her very best."

"You know why I'm here, too? What exactly did these prophecies say?" Twilight asked, running a hoof through her mane, scratching the back of her head, still puzzled.

Zecora smiled and beckoned for Twilight to follow, slinging the spear up onto her back and trotting off towards a distant plume of smoke deeper into the ruined city. "Come with me and you will see the words that brought Zecora to thee."

Twilight plodded after her, unable to stop herself due to the undying curiosity about this new, strange equine.

Author's Note

Heh... I'm kind of proud of myself for those rhymes at the end. I so rarely get the chance to ply my craft at poetry.

Thanks to all of you who have favourited and watched me. It's really an inspiration to keep going at this ridiculous pace of updating :)

Interlude: A Treatise on the Lunar Kingdom, Part One, By Twilight Sparkle

Herald of the Night

Interlude: A Treatise on the Lunar Kingdom; Part One, by Twilight Sparkle

The Lunar Kingdom is all we, as Lunar Ponies, have ever known. Most of us don't even consider where we came from, where our ancestors came from. But when we boil things down to the pure facts, none of us are true 'Lunar Ponies'. It is a misnomer given to those that have been born here upon Princess Luna's moon since she brought our ancestors here from Equus to 'escape Solar tyranny'. A phrase that may or may not have been accurate, if one is to believe the wide varieties of speculation. However, we will approach that subject with the proper consideration at a later point in this presentation.

Regardless of the motive, the fact remains that, since then, the majority of ponies from the Lunar Kingdom have little to no knowledge of their Equestrian origins. A sad oversight in our educational system, if I may say so myself, though I find myself uniquely privileged to hear stories of Equestria's distant past from our luminous ruler Herself. I have, over time, acquired this chance through years of service to Her Majesty and, by her permission, am being allowed to use her accounts, as spoken by her, for evidence in this dissertation. I would not use it without her permission, nor shall I, which brings us to our first point.

Princess Luna.

Our ruler for many thousands of years. It is no mystery that she is one of two alicorn* sisters, one of which is herself and the other rules over Equestria on the planet Equus, which anypony can see looming above us in our sky. She has never lied to us on this fact. It would have proved pointless to do so even if she had such a desire to keep us in the dark. The planet is within easy sight of our telescopes and we would have, at some point, witnessed the Solar Alicorn, Celestia, going forth across the world at some point.

Furthermore, it is possible that she could not lie even if she wanted to. Through recently-gained knowledge, I have discovered that the Elements of Harmony, known as the traits all ponies should live by, are more than just an old mare's tale, if you will pardon the phrase. Princess Luna has assured me that they were very real, and at some point in the past millennia, banished a chaotic beast by the name of Discord. During this time, Luna and Celestia wielded the Elements of Harmony: Celestia wielding Kindness, Generosity and Loyalty, while Luna held Honesty, Laughter and Magic**.

The fact that our ruler had been selected to wield the Element of Honesty goes to imply that she would not lie, given a choice between obscuring the truth and revealing it. As such, we are to infer, she has not doctored any of our history directly since the establishment of the Lunar Kingdom. We can only hope that our Princess has not hidden things of great importance from her subjects, but with all due respect to Her Highness, we cannot assume that She hasn't. Even with the Element of Honesty deeming her a worthy bearer at some point in the distant past, nobody can prove that it still considers her a bearer.

Now, back on topic. With enough observation and the proper equipment, one can observe Equestria far above, or below, as it may be the case, and attempt to fathom Equestrian society. As far as we know, through means both mundane and magical, their society evolved much the same as ours, given the exceptions made by the altered environments and scientific advancements.

Whereas they are free to build anywhere they find feasible, with their oxygenated atmosphere and rolling plains, their cities are sprawled out over the landscape, as opposed to ours, which often take form in craters and lunar valleys, all within the range of the Princess' magic. For without her powers to keep us alive on this barren sphere, we would likely not survive until technology caught up to the function of keeping us alive. And earliest projections for that do not slate it for another fifty to one hundred years, at the earliest, though some have heard rumors about ponies that live on the dark side of the moon, beyond Luna's beneficial influence. To that, I can only offer speculation and assumption, as these rumors have yet to be confirmed. But if they possess such magic or technology, one can only assume that it may become widespread, given time. After that... Who knows what may happen to the solidarity of the Princess' rule? It may come to pass that her rule may be overthrown or encouraged to cease in favour of some new form of government.

At this point, I would like to state quite clearly that this is not seditious or treasonous and I would beg Princess Luna not to banish me in any way because I support her rule wholeheartedly, as well as respect her as a colleague, albeit a royal one. Please don't banish me... I still haven't read all the books in the library!

* = It is unsure where alicorns come from, much less the reason for their affinity for heavenly bodies, for according to our knowledge, there are only two, and they are both female. Possible indications of a third have arisen, but these observations were made under odd circumstances and still have yet to be confirmed. The source of alicorns and where they come from is a mystery. Even due to my close association with the Princess, I still have yet to be informed about their origins. She refuses to discuss such things when asked and, when pressured, gets irritable. At that point, I usually take shelter under the nearest table and begin begging forgiveness, but that's beside the point. Is it possible that this irritation indicates an unpleasant or painful memory? Only time will tell, I suppose.

** = Not sure where Magic fits into Harmony, but then again, they are unfathomable powers, from the accounts I've read and the books I have perused from the vast library archive under castle. Is it possible that this Magic is the cohesive agent between the others? Providing a sort of catalyzing effect? I don't believe my questions will ever be answered in my lifetime because, according to last accounts, the Elements of Harmony did not come with Princess Luna to the Moon, but remained back in Equestria. Alas, another mystery that will elude my attempts to solve it, unless I can get Her Highness to answer that question. But once again, like with the Alicorn origins question, I am better off trying to find out for myself rather than risk banishment.

Author's Note

And there's the first interlude. Having received no questions, I figured I'd just go about it in my own way. It was enjoyable to write this. I like laying out things in a narrative factual explanation.

Anyway, see you next time for a continuation of Twilight's adventures.

Chapter Six: Books and Visions

Herald of the Night

Chapter Six: Books and Visions

It turned out that the destination to which Zecora was leading Twilight was not as far off as had first been assumed, and was infinitely more appreciated.

"Booooooks!" Twilight squealed in barely-contained glee, rolling around in a pile, horn glowing and floating more of the old tomes atop her, burying herself - apart from her face - in the lovely scent of printed knowledge. Sure, the books were ancient beyond belief and should be handled with much more care than was being showed to them, but who cared! BOOKS! And lots of them!

Zecora had housed herself in a library. More accurately, the back room of the library, where a small array of cauldrons, shelves and many bottles of ingredients had been placed, brought in by the zebra shortly after her arrival. From the looks of things, Zecora was a potion-maker of sorts. Perhaps alchemy. They were currently standing - well, Zecora was standing, Twilight was floundering in the ever-growing book pile - in the main hall, where shelves upon shelves of old books still stood. As they'd entered the older-than-old building, Twilight instinctively detected the slightly-bitter magical-scent of a preservation spell that she'd so often detected in the libraries back on the Moon, only much less refined and MUCH more ancient. These books contained knowledge from a time over a thousand years previous. But at the moment, Twilight was just enjoying being smothered by them, feeling their bindings and inhaling that scent of pressed and pulped paper.

"It would seem you have a love for lore. In the castle, there are many more. But carefully you must tread in those forgotten halls. For, you see, there is danger within those walls." Zecora chanted, laughing to herself at Twilight's antics before sobering her tone and issuing the warning. While Twilight had begun, upon arrival, immediately pulling books off the shelves, the zebra had, instead, leaned her spear against the wall by the door and divested herself of her cumbersome saddlebags. From her packs, she had begun withdrawing many herbs and plants and swiftly sorting them with a deft hoof and depositing them into separate jars.

Twilight, after calming down and picking out from the pile a stack of books she wished to peruse later, peered out from a cave she'd constructed within Mount Knowledge. Perhaps later, it would become Fort Bookworm, but for now, she had priorities. "You said something about a prophecy earlier... Perhaps you could tell me about it?"

Zecora scooped up a jar from her shelf, overturning it and dumping its contents into one of the steaming cauldrons, sending up a cloud of thick, aromatic smoke that began filling the room. "Prophesies may not be the right word, they are things that can be overheard. Words came to me by way of a tome. These words carried me far from home. To understand their message old, one cannot be merely told."

The unicorn mare's vision blurred, becoming hazy in the wake of each wafting puff of smoke as its richly-scented haze filled the room. Her only thought before she lost consciousness, confused as it was, was that she had passed out way too many times on this quest already. Was everyone out to knock her out or drug her?

Twilight was awoken by a hoof gently digging into her side, prodding at her. Twilight stirred and looked up to find Zecora. Around them, in a strange, unnatural clarity, was a jungle that Twilight did not recognize. It was far too lush and... green to be the Everfree Forest. "Where-"

"'When' is a more accurate question. But though, if I may, I would make a suggestion. Sit back and watch the story unfold. Too long has it waited for you to be told. In my dreams we do walk, and I would appreciate if you did not talk. This dream-share is difficult to do and I sacrifice much to show it to you."

The scene blurred and there appeared before them, from the underbrush with a machete in her mouth, was a younger Zecora. The stripes on her hide were thinner and less pronounced and a couple gold bands were missing from her form. Hacking and slashing through the thick foliage, an ancient stone doorway, with a sparsely-illuminated stairwell leading down into the ground. Torches lit the passage every few dozen steps. Enough to see by, barely, but not enough to see well.

Without hesitation, the younger Zecora descended through the archway. Without moving a hoof, the two of the observers seemed to... float in pursuit of the focus of this vision, down, deeper and deeper.

After what seemed like hours, but no time at all for the two of them who trod the dreamscape between their hooves, the young zebra emerged into a lit chamber, filled by other zebras with similar glyphs on their flanks. Some turned to see Zecora enter before continuing on their business once they saw who it was.

The young Zecora seemed to be on a mission of her own, weaving in and out of the crowd that was forming after she had left the entryway far behind. The occasional zebra tried to speak to the zebra mare, but she shook her head and continued determinedly down her path, occasionally glancing back at her saddlebags, as if to make sure they were still there and still closed. Twilight could only assume they were of some concern to Zecora. Something precious, perhaps. Secret? Whatever it was had the zebra in a hurry.

The hallway expanded into a large chamber, buildings built along the walls with staircases leading up to the secondary levels. A large underground city on either side, but Zecora hadn't batted an eye. Instead, she made her way to an ornate building off to the side.

Twilight looked at the zebra floating next to her, who looked strained and sorrowful at the dreamscape city around them. "Zecora-"

"Hush, young one, and let it be shown. The burden these memories bring is my own." the zebra said, hushing the unicorn.

The memory-Zecora knocked on the structure's door before entering, locking the door behind her with a sure hoof on the key.

"Is that you, Zecora? Make sure to lock the door-a."

Zecora snorted, "We all know door-a does not rhyme. With your lessons, you should take more time."

A zebra colt stepped out from behind a cabinet. "Can you blame me for trying? Not everyone has the natural affinity for poetry as you, Zecora."

Zecora smiled kindly. "I cannot blame, this is true. Is your master right now here with you?"

The colt nodded, "He's waiting in the back. Did you get what he asked for?"

Zecora only nodded and proceeded through a second door, beyond which was an array of bookshelves filled with Zebra histories. Twilight would have spazzed out again, if not for the seriousness of this situation and the fact that she couldn't read them.

When Zecora emerged into the main portion of the room, an ancient zebra sat before her. Eyelids opened to reveal milky white orbs. He was blind. "Zecora, is that you I hear? Hurry, hurry. Come close, my dear."

The mare neared the old stallion. "My mission successful, my quest victorious, I return with your desire, a bounty most glorious," she intoned, shrugging off her saddlebags and picking them up in her mouth to carry them towards the stallion. Once flipped open, their contents were revealed to be half a dozen scrolls and....

Twilight gasped. Nestled among them was... a Lunar Sapphire. Rich shades of blue sparkled against the ceiling, sparkling in the torchlight. But... how had such a gem - from the Moon, no less - come to be in Zebrica?

And why did it have a crescent moon carved upon it?

The vision melted before Twilight's eyes and she fell into the abyss.

Twilight jerked upright. "Lunar Sapphire!" she blurted. Whirling on Zecora, who was also shaking off the effects of sleep. The smoke that had dominated the room was now a vague haze. "Where did that come from?"

Zecora looked at Twilight, "You asked me to explain my reasons. Why I waited here for a few dozen seasons. My journey began in years long past. It is good to finally give you this at long last."

The Zebra moved over to a chest that sat against the wall, pulling out a key and unlocking it. Resting within, sat the Lunar Sapphire.

"The reason your Luna came to me. The reason: She asked Zecora to bring you The Key."

Author's Note

And now a little Zebra to brighten up your day, following some Bookgasming Twilight. :)

Chapter Seven: Forgotten Keys

Herald of the Night

Chapter Seven: Forgotten Keys

The blue gem sat there, flickering in the torchlight, amber lights dancing along the edges of the crescent moon carved upon it, mirroring the cutie mark of the Alicorn of the Night.

To say that Lunar Sapphires were rare would be an understatement bordering on cataclysmic. To Twilight's knowledge, there were only two in all of existence (this one on the ground before her being the third, which ought not have even BEEN in existence): One set into the backing of Luna's throne on the Moon and the other had been given to Celestia following Discord's defeat.* To have one sitting before Twilight was... well, almost as breathtaking as having a private audience with the Princess. In the Princess' private library! With new quills and parchment for note-taking!

"Let's... umm... forget for the moment that you are in possession of something as rare as . What did you mean when you said 'Luna came to me'?"

"Just what it sounds like, my new pony friend. But what difference does it make in the end? Your princess has sent you upon an epic quest. When all is told, informed or not, you will still do your best."

"Humour me. I'm curious as to why the Princess thought it prudent to put such a... powerful force into my hooves without telling me." Twilight said, poking very gently at the Lunar Sapphire in emphasis, but still seeming for all the world afraid that it would bite her (or worse, explode). The hoof withdrew sharply as a shimmering, silver light seemed to pulse deep within the jewel. After a few paranoia-filled moments, Twilight and the sapphire both calmed down.

Zecora sighed. "You should not look a gift zebra in the mouth. Why else would I travel from my lands that are far to the south **? T'was not just ponies who supported Luna in the past. We would have fought for her, had she only asked."

Twilight gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Zecora, but I just met you. And it's just... a lot to take in. I came here just yesterday and things are already so complicated... I know what I have to do... but what if I fail?" she moaned, head hanging low.

"Things rarely go according to plan. It is our job to do what we can." Zecora said, looking caringly at the unicorn. "A heavy burden rests on your back. Just take care not to have a heart attack."

Twilight nodded, sniffling for a moment before taking a deep breath and looking more closely at the luminous gem before them, which was casting silvery-blue light upon the ceiling. "So what did she mean by saying that it was a Key of some sort?"

Zecora shook her head, "I do not know. Perhaps, for answers, to the castle you should go."

Twilight perked up at this. "That's right! How could I have forgotten!? I was supposed to go to the castle right away before I got sidetracked!"

At this, the unicorn scooped the gem up in her magic and floated it swiftly - but gently - back into the chest, closed it, put a locking spell upon it, then turned around and hopped along the slopes of Mount Knowledge, skirting it quickly and heading for the door, Zecora speedily following behind.

A quick-paced gallop took them quickly through the ancient, abandoned city towards the small gorge that separated the greater part of the city from the castle. Taking a deep breath, Twilight steeled herself for the treacherous jaunt across the rickety bridge that stood as the only connection that spanned the over-sized moat. Except this moat had no nice, soft water to catch you if you fell.

Somepony please stop me... she thought to herself as she gazed at the rickety, wood-and-rope bridge, a hoof poised to place itself upon the less-than-sturday surface. With another deep breath, almost overshadowed by Zecora's sigh of slight impatience as the Zebra waited behind Twilight for her own chance to cross the dangerous chasm.

After a few moments, Twilight stepped forward. The bridge creaked under the hoof now tentatively resting upon it, but did not give out. After a few seconds, Twilight continued on, each step careful and precise. Deep, calming breaths accompanied each hoof movement. Before long, she was on the other side and Zecora began her way across, casually cantering across as if she'd done it a dozen times before, which, in all likelihood, she had done so during her time in the city.

The sun was sinking down low in the sky when they finally made their way up the path that led to the castle. An ancient, towering structure of stones as ancient as Discord's defeat. Set into the old, grey stones was a tall, dark double door. intricately carved with gold and silver filigree. A respectful hoof touched one of the doors before she braced herself and pushed it open, the unicorn pushing hard as she could and still barely moving it. Zecora, seeing the younger mare struggle, moved beside Twilight and added her force to the mix, easing the door's movement and revealing the darkened interior to the fading light from the outside.

Twilight steeled herself and stepped into the dark room.

With her heart racing and her hooves making hollow clops on the cold stones beneath them, she walked through the grand hall, eyes wandering before being inexorably drawn towards the dais in the center. Twilight gasped.

It was empty.

*= Luna was given a Solar Amethyst, of which there had also only been two known of by the public. One in Luna's possession and the other as the centerpiece in Celestia's crown. The significance of these gems largely goes under-appreciated by the majority of ponies, seeing as how most do not know of the massive power contained within a single one of these jewels. According to those who have spent lifetimes researching them, the closest somepony could come to summarizing it would be to say that if one of either were to be cracked open, it would be akin to Discord waking up on the wrong side of the statue garden and deciding to raze a city or two to make himself feel better. To speculate on what would happen should one of each be shattered in the same location boggles - and terrifies, don't forget terrifies - the mind.

**= The lands of the Zebras, while shrouded in mystery and vague hints at where their boundaries truly rest upon the political map of Equestria, still have a great mystique about them. Their culture is even more of a mystery, seeing as how they mostly keep to themselves. But the large majority of scholars seem to believe that the Zebra lands are in the South, past the Buffalo tribe's territory and beyond the standard Equestrian map.

Author's Note

Another slight cliffhanger, I know, but I should have the next chapter out soon.

Chapter Eight: Complications

Herald of the Night

Chapter Eight: Complications

"Nonononononono! This is not good, this is not good!" Twilight wailed in a rambling, panicked voice as she galloped forward, darting around the central dais, examining each pedestal with a glowing horn, searching for magical trickery. "Maybe this is some sort of test! Yes! A test! I can handle tests."

The unicorn galloped all over the room, poking her head into side rooms and passages, returning mere moments later with a disappointed look on her face.

"It does not look to be a test. Who else knew about your quest?" Zecora questioned, waving a hoof through the air above one of the radiant pedestals and touching nothing but air.

"Nobody! The Princess gave this mission to me in complete privacy. The real question we need to ask is who else even knew about this place!?" Twilight inquired, passing her horn's glow over the floor around the room, "This place is supposed to have been abandoned for centuries! The pony who took these would have to be... impossibly.... old..." the unicorn trailed off, sinking down onto her haunches, eyes wide, horn dimming and guttering out.

"Twilight, please, tell me of your plight. What has inspired in you such fright?" Zecora requested worriedly, waving a hoof in front of the lavender unicorn's unblinking gaze.

"She's taken them..." Twilight whispered, her voice almost lost amid the sound of wind whistling through the hall through the broken windows.

"Gone? And you accuse my sister of this?" thundered Luna, stomping around the dome in which herself and Twilight had gathered amid the land of dreams. She whirled on Twilight. "I cannot believe it. How sure of this are you? What have you discovered?"

Twilight cowered before Luna, terrified at the alicorn's fury. Dust rained down from the dome's roof as great cracks crept across the arched ceiling while the room seemed to grow smaller.

Luna, seeing this, took a deep breath. "I apologize, Twilight Sparkle. It is... hard to think that my sister would betray our oaths to leave the Elements where we put them. Though I should keep in mind that it has been a thousand years and I can hardly claim to know my sister the way I used to." She put a comforting wing around the unicorn. "Please, explain how you came to this conclusion."

Twilight sniffed and took a moment to compose herself. "Well..." she began, looking up at Luna, "After we - Zecora and I - found the elements missing... I spent the rest of the evening searching the palace top to bottom with my magic. I found evidence of ancient wards both yours and similar ones that I presumed to be from Celestia. But they were all broken. Dismantled and cast aside. Using Clover the Clever's Magical Decay Rate Theorem* from the Laws of Magic**, volume twelve, I determined that both the ambient aura the Elements radiated and the wards had been decayed for approximately fifteen to twenty-five years. That would also match up with the approximate age of the Earth Pony I encountered with a trace of the Elemental force inside of her..." Twilight rambled.

Luna held up a hoof. "You say an Earth Pony was infused with an Element's power?"

Twilight, seeming rather perturbed at being interrupted during her full-on report-giving mode, nodded, "To be specific: Honesty."

Luna winced.

"Oh, your Highness! I'm sorry! I should've... I forgot it was one of your Elements of Harmony."

"Think nothing of it, Twilight Sparkle. I felt its direct power leave me around the time you are implying, as well, so that confirms one idea and raises a dozen more questions. Not the least of which is what my sister is planning. But our first priority should still be to locate the Element Shells. A good place to start would be in Canterlot, her capitol." Luna said, tapping her chin with a hoof. "If they are anywhere, they are probably in the vaults beneath the castle. I would expect numerous magical traps and snares."

Twilight nodded, "So... any particular reason you sent a zebra to bring me a Lunar Sapphire?"

Luna gave a small smile, "All in good time, Twilight Sparkle. If you don't figure out, I will tell you when the time is right."

The dome went dark and Twilight woke up.

*=Presented by Clover the Clever one thousand and ninety-eight years prior. States that Magic itself has a constant decay rate depending on how strong the cast spell was and how long it has been in a state of permanence. Spells begin to decay at a rate of after they are either discontinued by the caster or broken by an outside force of equal or greater power.
On average, a unicorn's spells will degrade and diminish within a few days. In the case of an Alicorn, that process may extend over several decades, though this is hard to measure, given that whenever an Alicorn casts a spell, they are capable of maintaining it from impossible distances and for unknown durations with little to no effort, as well as the fact that Alicorn spells would be near-impossible to break.

**= The Laws of Magic were penned by Starswirl the Bearded and compiled and added to by Clover the Clever over the span of their lifetimes. The full set is comprised of thirty-nine volumes and over one hundred thousand pages. Twilight herself is proud to say that she has read half of the collection and is looking forward to finishing the process upon her return home.

Author's Note

Now things get serious.

Chapter Nine: To Canterlot!

Herald of the Night

Chapter Nine: To Canterlot!

Twilight's hooves elicited a nervous staccato of clip-clops as she darted around Zecora's home in the old library, looking for books that could be useful, grabbing them in her magic and floating them into some saddlebags provided to her by the zebra. It was a real shame that her own saddlebags had been lost. It filled Twilight with both annoyance - because some of her favourite books were in them - and terror, because some of those books - ancient accounts about the Elements of Harmony, along with a few personal notes from Luna on what to do while manipulating them - were borrowed from Luna's library. Think of the book fines! In the back, Zecora was gathering up supplies for their journey.

The unicorn was considering hiding the Lunar Sapphire here in the Old City, but with the security of even the castle being compromised and with Celestia having unknown motives, it went without saying that any high-value objects relating to Luna should not go unattended. It would be easy for the Solar Alicorn to locate and brush aside any concealing enchantments and claim the sapphire for her own. So Twilight had decided to stow the sapphire in a small pouch strapped to her flank underneath the saddlebags, hiding it from outside view.

After tightening the straps and making sure the pouch was concealed from various angles - by way of a levitated mirror - Twilight looked up as Zecora trotted in, spear across her back and bulging saddlebags across her flanks, filled up with enough supplies to make the journey on hoof, if they had to. Though, that wasn't the plan. According to Zecora, there was a small town just on the other side of the Everfree that had some sort of transportation set up to take passengers to Canterlot and to various cities and towns throughout Equestria. From what Zecora had told her, it sounded like some sort of compartment-rail combination. It sounded like the gondola system* rigged up on some of the valleys of the moon, only on the ground and over longer distances, and Twilight was eager to see how it worked.

The sun had risen high and early and they still had yet to trek through the forest, but Twilight was already nervous. What if she failed? What would she do without the Elemental Shells? Why was the Princess being so cryptic!?

Of course, the first obstacle was to get through the town in the valley beyond without being overly noticed...

...which didn't go that well. Twilight sighed as a pink pony hopped up and down animatedly in front of her, blithering and rambling on about something that Twilight had long since tuned out. She was just trying to get across town to the train station. Occasionally, Twilight would catch something about a 'party' and about her being new, as well as a barrage of questions about her, where she was from and what her cutie mark said about her special talent. All of these questions, Twilight had evaded, mainly because she (1) didn't want to and (2) couldn't, due to national - or was it interplanetary... - security and for the sake of secrecy.

For a while, it had seemed as though Zecora's presence would keep a reasonable buffer zone between them and the ponies of Ponyville (a silly name, really) due to some sort of aversion to Twilight's zebra companion, from what Twilight had observed. Upon their approach, even with Zecora having donned a hooded cloak prior to entering Ponyville, the streets were deserted. Hushed whispers were barely audible from behind closed - and locked - doors, and there was the occasional twitch of curtains in the glassy windows as the inhabitants peeked out to see if the duo had departed. It occurred to Twilight that this had happened numerous times before, due to Zecora's preparedness to deal with this attitude from the ponies of the town and due to several goods back in the library that the zebra obviously had not made herself: a stove. glass jars and even the cloak she was wearing. It was rather finely made and Zecora had said she'd been given it by a white-coated unicorn some years previously during a particularly cold winter. Yet, despite the perfectly civil behavior of both Twilight and Zecora, the townsfolk were content to do their judging from behind closed and locked - Yes, the unicorn had checked to make sure - doors.

Well, every inhabitant except this pesky, prancing, pink pony that Twilight so dearly wished would depart and stop trying to shove a cupcake in her face. Testing the local cuisine would have to wait until after the Elements were reclaimed.

"Come on! You can't resist a party! Nopony can resist a party. Especially not one of my super-terriffic, stupenditacular parties!!" the pony persisted. "Especially a new pony! You should make friends! There'll be cake and ice cream and other ponies and pin the tail on the pony and all sorts of awesome games you can play and have FUN and laugh and giggle and maybe come to stay here and have my parties all the time because everyone loves a Pinkie Pie party!" she rambled out in a single, long breath before gasping for air.

"Not interested at the moment. Maybe later." Twilight said, rolling her eyes, knowing full well her own intention to not come this way on the return journey.

For a moment, it almost seemed unbearable as the pink earth pony squealed - deafeningly, leaving Twilight on the ground and clutching her ears in her hooves - and sprinted off in a pink blur. One could only assume she was off to start planning the party that Twilight almost, for a moment, remotely considered attending, if only to see what the big deal was.

But that'd have to wait until, as Twilight had said, later. If they weren't on the run from the law after Canterlot, she might just take this... 'Pinkie Pie' up on her offer.

After bartering for passage using some lesser gems that Zecora had brought along - neither of the two made use of 'bits' the way the Equestrians did - the two companions made their way onto the Ponyville Express and waited for the train to depart.

"Hey, Zecora?" Twilight asked after a minute or so, looking out the window at the town.

Zecora glanced up from sifting through her saddlebags and gave an inquiring look and a small, questioning hum to indicate Twilight continue.

"Why do the ponies of Ponyville shun you so rudely?"

Zecora sighed. "The ponies of this town think me strange. It is easier to leave than bring myself to change. Zebras are different, this is true. But are we so truly different from ponies like you? We have families and we play in the sun. We go to bed when the day is done. All things pony, we could do if we chose. But with ways of such ignorance, why choose those?"

Twilight nodded, "For what it's worth, I apologize for their behavior. Even if I'm not... technically... from here."

Zecora smiled and gave Twilight a brief embrace before going back to her sifting. "If all ponies were just like you, perhaps I could live with them, too. But they are not, and I do not fret. They have not got the best of me yet."

With a lurch, the train began moving.

"Now leaving Ponyville Station... Next stop, Canterlot!" came the call of the attendant.

*= In the method of public transportation, the Moon Ponies and the ponies of Equestria had branched out separately. Whereas the Equestrians had developed and invented the railroad, the ponies of the Lunar Kingdom had created a network of gondolas to traverse the distance between high locations and lower ones or between key buildings within the larger cities. For the most part, Lunar ponies are expected to traverse the landscape themselves in the decreased gravity between crater-cities. Not that many actually left their hometowns during their lives.

Author's Note

*stretches and yawns* Pulled a late night writing this up. Hope you enjoyed it.

Chapter Ten: Danger on the Ponyville Express

Herald of the Night

Chapter Ten: Danger on the Ponyville Express

As the train traversed the rails with a rather impressive speed, the two secretive passengers sat on a bench near the back, ignoring the strange looks being cast their way by the other passengers in the car, as well as the whispers about Zebras. It irked Twilight to no end. She could understand Lunar ponies having the aversion to other races, being the only life forms on the inhospitable Moon and much more likely to be suspicious of newcomers, but these Equestrians had spent centuries, maybe even a few thousand years around other nations. Griffins, Minotaurs, Dragons and Zebras... Yet, these ponies were the ones with the grudge against those different from them.

"It's a pity that Tolerance isn't an Element of Harmony...*" Twilight grumbled, "It's probably lost somewhere in the crack between Kindness and Loyalty."

She was jerked out of her thoughts by the loud whistle of the train, which caused Twilight to gaze out the window to see what was going on. It didn't take her long to spot the shining city of white that clung to the side of the mountain. A city that the train was steadily steaming towards.

It was breathtaking. Though Twilight had observed the city of Canterlot many times from the Moon through a telescope, but mere observation from afar was nothing compared to seeing it so close. Towering spires of white marble. Colorful pennants and banners hanging from the castle's battlements. The image wavered and...

Twilight blinked, then looked again.

No, she hadn't been imagining things. There was a slight shimmer over the whole of Canterlot, indicative of a concealed shield spell, perhaps combined with a detection array. Twilight's heart went into rapid beats as fear began taking hold. Were they expected?

Before she could perform any concealing or counter-detection spells of her own, the train passed through an archway and Twilight felt a tingle move along her body, starting at her nose and sparking an electrifying sensation along her whole body until it stopped at her tail. They were inside it now. Twilight cringed and looked around, but nothing happened. No alarms... no shouts... Maybe it wasn't meant for them after all.

A terrified shriek came from behind them, prompting Zecora and Twilight to spin around, both crouching into a defensive stance: Zecora's from years of defending herself in the jungle and Twilight out of paranoia.

What they beheld with their eyes was most decidedly not what they expected.

A black, insectoid equine - possessing holes in its limbs, a jagged horn and transparent, bug-like wings - was crouched, dazed, amid a few other ponies that were attempting to rapidly vacate its immediate vicinity.

So that is what the spell was for... Twilight thought to herself, charging up a shielding ward for both herself and Zecora, imparting their coats with a slight glowing shimmer of protective magic before telekinetically scooping the bystanders to a safe distance as the strange creature started to regain its bearings, hissing its anger at being discovered.

Twilight, when it turned towards her, flinched and launched a stunner spell** at it, sending it tumbling into the wall. It blinked in confusion a few times before hissing again, rising to its hooves, wings buzzing aggressively as it bore sharp, white fangs. She focused and launched another two stunners, taking a step forward as Zecora flanked left, spear gripped by her right foreleg and pointed at the strange creature while balancing on her other three hooves.

The two of them slowly approached the fallen creature, which seemed to have difficulty recovering from the latest stunning spells. The ponies behind them breathed a collective sigh of relief as a trio of guards, clad in golden armour and wielding spears, burst into the train car once the train stopped and, after a brief look around to get a situational assessment, turned and cornered the creature, binding it in shackles and hoisting it onto its hooves. It regained its awareness as two of the guards dragged it away, spitting and hissing in fury.

The third guard turned away from the struggling creature and nodded at Twilight and Zecora. "Thank you. You've done quite the service to Equestria. I'm impressed that a couple of civilians acted with such swiftness." If the guard had any sort of prejudice against zebras, he contained it rather well, though his gaze did linger over Zecora for a moment or so longer than it had done so over Twilight.

"Sir, if I may ask... What the hay was that?" Twilight blurted, craning her neck to look out the window as the other guards bore the creature out of sight. "And why did it attack us?"

"It's not really my place to say, but... I'll have to ask you to come with us for questioning."

Twilight recoiled, retreating a few steps, "What? Why? Did we do something wrong?"

The guard chuckled, "No, no. Nothing like that. It's just that the Captain will want to know what happened in here before we arrived. He'll want to ask you and your friend a few questions, then you'll be free to go."

Twilight calmed down, "Oh... alright then. Let me just get my bags..." She said, turning back towards their seat. Behind her, the guard inhaled sharply.

The guard slowly backed out of the car, whispering to another guard who had arrived on the scene. "Alert Captain Armor. We've got a Marked One and I'm bringing her in."

*= Personally, Twilight believed that the Element of Magic was a misnomer but still, as stated previously, the catalyst in the Harmony reaction. In several of her studies on the subject, she stated "I mean, seriously. Magic is an Element of Harmony in a group where every other Element is a moral trait to be nurtured and encouraged? Perhaps it's a metaphorical title that goes along with the lesson about Friendship in itself being a subcategory of magic?"

**= Twilight was well-versed in self-defense spells. A pony does not travel the length and width of the Lunar Kingdom - sometimes including sojourns into the Dark Side of the Moon - without learning to protect herself from whatever sketchy motives may belong to the ponies in various cities. Not all Lunar Ponies were supportive of the Royal Court and their representatives. Twilight had, indeed, been accosted no less than seven times during her employment in service to the Royal Court. Most times, she could deal with her assailant without requiring assistance from the local guards.

Author's Note

The plot thickens....

Interlude: A Treatise on the Lunar Kingdom, Part Two, By Twilight Sparkle

Herald of the Night

Interlude: A Treatise on the Lunar Kingdom, Part Two, By Twilight Sparkle

Continuing from where we left off, we were discussing the political status of the Lunar Kingdom, mainly the status the Princess has as the ruler of said kingdom. This unicorn would like to apologize for any unprofessional outbursts she made in the earlier chapters of this dissertation, for I was not in my right mind and got carried away by a tide of paranoia.

Now, back to politics. I shall attempt to be as brief and as succinct as possible to keep from boring the ponies examining this treatise.

The Lunar Court of the Lunar Kingdom (an obvious title, now one thinks upon it. And one wonders why the Lunar Kingdom does not have a more fanciful title like Equestria does. But I'm sure Princess Luna has a good reason), consists of four castes: The Princess, the Nobles, the Council and the Parliament, though these are listed here in no particular order of importance, they do have a hierarchical arrangement with the Princess at the top and the Nobles - as much as it annoys them - at the bottom. The real arrangement, as I realize I could have stated above, goes as follows: Princess, Council, Parliament and Nobles. I am to understand that this arrangement is a step up from the feudal society that the ponies had, prior to Princess Luna's departure from Equus, which had devolved into infighting, which in turn invited Windigoes, driving the pony tribes into the new land of Equestria, where the Royal Pony Sisters assumed the mantle of leadership for their strength during the Discordian Wars and united the tribes into a single nation.

On a side note, the tribes of Old Equus had been divided as such following the Discordian Wars while the Princesses recovered from their use of the Elements of Harmony, which had been rather draining. The process of recovery had taken some years and, upon their return, Celestia and Luna had been horrified at the terrible infighting that had arisen among their precious ponies. It was a division that Luna quickly stamped out any traces of after leaving Equestria. She already had enough on her plate dealing with supporting life on her Moon. She didn't need rebellion and unrest distracting her from more important tasks.

The Princess:

Though mostly a title nowadays, in centuries past, Princess Luna attained this ranking through both right of power and right of rule, which was carried over from her efforts on the behalf of the ponies when they called Equestria their home. As such, she only continued her reign over them due to their faith in her leadership, but even without such faith, she would still have held power as the sole Alicorn upon the moon, as well as the provider of their life-giving magic. She is the leader of the Council and holds significant influence in the Lunar Kingdom, particularly in Luminus, although she doesn't make a habit of throwing her political weight around.

The Council

The Council is an array of twelve honorable ponies, plus one Princess, elected by the Parliament to represent the various demographics of the Lunar Kingdom. Sadly, the Dark Side of the Moon has refused or neglected to send representatives for their place in the council. The councilponies are chosen by the Parliament, from the Parliament's member ponies, by majority vote and by merit of their character. They also are put under perusal by the Princess for the months prior to their official induction.

The Parliament

The Parliament is compiled of a body of ponies gathered as representatives of various demographics and regions of the Lunar Kingdom. On average, with a few exceptions, each region sends approximately four to five ponies to stand in Parliament on their behalf at the Hall of Voices, the Parliamentary building. Many of the members chosen to represent regions are nobles of said regions, though on occasion, a particularly upstanding member of the community will be sent to stand in and speak on behalf of what the nobles would call 'commoners'.

The Nobles

More stuck-up braggarts you could not find on the bright side of the moon. More akin to the savager types of Lunar Ponies that lived on the Fringe* than any actual nobility.

Anyway, the Nobles, by right of conquest (in the case of once-warlord families in Old Equestria) or merit (the newer way of acquiring status), hold great estates - some taking up entire craters - and vast fortunes of wealth, mostly comprised of the various varieties of ores and gems found beneath the Moon's surface. They don't have much political power individually, but banded together, they could possibly put forth a petition to get the Princess' attention on a matter they deemed important. Perhaps some ridiculous sentiment outlawing any 'commoner' acquiring the same amount of wealth as themselves.

Now, ponies like myself in service to the Crown do not have any political power except those granted by the Princess during our missions or various endeavours on behalf of the Princess. I myself have had to pull rank (granted by express permission from the Princess, of course) to make a stubborn noble provide records and files the Princess had requested.

*= The Fringe is the ridge marking the edge of the readily-explored regions of the Moon, but not quite on the dark side. The inhabitants of the Fringe are said to have gone mad with what they found on the shadowy half of our fair sphere, but royal expeditions have found no such frightful content. Those that live on the dark side were unavailable for comment on this matter.

Author's Note

Apologies for the delay in my updates as of late. I had a hectic weekend and headaches have made it difficult to match my normal quality. I hope to update the next normal chapter within a few days.

Chapter Eleven: Captain of the Royal Guard

Herald of the Night

Chapter Eleven: Captain of the Royal Guard

Twilight and Zecora proceeded down the corridor, flanked by two white pegasi clad in gold armor. To say that Twilight was nervous - despite the guard's reassurances - she couldn't help it. She was, in a way, in the proverbial "Lion's Den". Except this 'lion' was an immortal alicorn with the power of the sun and with each guard passed, the white marble walls seemed to creep inward until Twilight was almost subconsciously ducking as she went through each doorway, even though the top of the arches came to an elegant curve a fair distance above her head.

And if that had been the extent of the reasons for her paranoia, she'd have been blessed. A couple guards gave her strange looks, which evolved into fearful glances as she passed, but she had no idea why. She hunched her shoulders and tried to become less noticeable.

Thankfully, they reached their destination before Twilight began sucking in her stomach so as not to get squeezed by the smooth walls on either side (By Luna, were they always that close?). Ahead was a simple wooden door. A far change from the ornate decor from the earlier apertures from the entrance. From this, Twilight gathered that while she'd been distracted, they had left the greater part of the palace and moved into the Royal Barracks. Or at least what would be a relative comparison to one, if most castles were the same and if the guards milling about in the room to the left were any indication. (Though, Twilight only had experience with a castle and a half. One on Luminus and in what was left of the Everfree palace.)

An officious rapping on the door - leaving a few small dents among the ones that already adorned the door, left by many metal horseshoes over the years - prompted a muffled "Come in," from within.

The door creaked open and Twilight nervously entered, followed by Zecora and the guard that had retrieved them from the train station, the other guard staying outside. The room was well-lit and lined with bookshelves, but to Twilight's disappointment, they were filled with military records and protocols. Sure, they were books, but the military rules had never really appealed to her interests. On the far side, past a large oaken desk, silhouetted against the window and the rich blue sky beyond, was a unicorn stallion.

The guard strode up next to them, wing flashing out to the side to indicate they wait, before coughing to attract his superior's attention. "Captain Armor?"

The unicorn turned, his horn flashing a rich pink and shutting the curtains behind him as he swung his gaze across the newcomers. Now clearly visible, Twilight took in this stallion's appearance. He had a pure white coat and a dark blue mane, which was split by an electric blue streak. His piercing blue eyes stared into Twilight's, giving her the feeling of being laid bare before that steely gaze. A gaze that, after giving her the once-over, skipped entirely over Zecora and was directed at the guard. "This is her, Lieutenant?"

The guard saluted briefly, "Yes, sir."

The Captain looked back at Twilight again, eyes narrowing slightly, as if in thought and concentration before, "Leave us. I would speak with them alone."

The guard nodded, saluted and backed out of the room, closing the door, which flared and glowed with a pink aura before fading.

"I'm Shining Armor. Captain of the Royal Guard. You mares have put me in quite the awkward position, you know." came the stallion's calm, measured voice. He trotted over and sank down onto his haunches behind the desk.

"How?" Twilight asked, blinking in surprise. This was a Royal Guard matter? She suddenly felt like she should start planning an escape. The stallion shook off the question and his horn lit up, levitating a quill into an inkwell before he brought it to a piece of parchment before him.

"Name."

"This is Aluva, my companion, and I'm Midnight Glimmer," the mare responded promptly, using the names they'd agreed on during the train ride.

"Cute. Real name?"

Twilight glanced nervously at Zecora. This seemed less like a courtesy questioning and more like an interrogation by the moment. The only thing missing was the other interrogator. Or was this captain going to be both the good guard and the bad guard? "Twilight Sparkle."

The stallion's figure tensed and his eyes narrowed even more than they had previously done. "Don't make me ask a third time."

"I just told you, it's Twilight Sparkle," the mare said, beginning to sweat.

"How DARE you!" he bellowed, driving Twilight back half a step, ears flat, at the force of his rage. Captain Armor took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He turned his eyes back to the parchment. "Business in Canterlot?"

"Research," Twilight quickly lied, "You see, I'm writing a book and I hear that the Canterlot Library has quite the wealth of information on Post-Discordian--"

Shining Armor held up a hoof to stop Twilight, "Not really interested." he said, the levitated quill jotting down notes as they went along. "Special talent and/or meaning of cutie mark?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.

"Well, for one, you became my problem because of that," he said, pointing a hoof at Twilight's cutie mark.

Twilight was taken aback for a moment before double checking where he was pointing "What? It's just my cutie mark."

"Where have you been for the past decade? Hiding under a rock?" the Captain said, beginning to sound overtly perturbed.

"Umm... traveling? Research, like I said," Twilight responded half-heartedly, really beginning to dislike the turn these questions had taken.

"I can see you're not ready to answer my questions honestly," Shining Armor said, rising to his hooves, walking around the desk and looming over the two mares. He opened the door with his magic. "Lieutenant, take these two to the holding cells. Separate ones. Maybe we'll see if this... 'Twilight Sparkle'," he spat out the name, "has anything to say in the morning."

The guard winced at the name, giving the unicorn and zebra an odd look before nodding and flanking them as a unicorn guard took up position on the other side.

"Prison?! I'm too young to go to prison!" Twilight said, her hooves beating a nervous staccato as they were ushered down the hallway. "I'm too pretty to go to prison, they'll eat me alive!"

Her wails continued, echoing down the hallways until Zecora decided to spare the guards by shoving a hoof in the unicorn mare's mouth.

Shining Armor's sneer faded into a grimace as the two newcomers were taken around the corner at the end of the corridor, the zebra being very helpful in quieting the lavender unicorn's ramblings. With a sigh, he shut his door firmly with a push of telekinesis as he turned his head towards a gap in one of the bookcases. There, placed in an alcove between the tomes and textbooks of military management and strategy, was a small frame, an unlit magical, slow-burning candle next to it. A slight glow enveloped the frame, levitating it towards him until it floated before his eyes.

"Everywhere I look, I see you... and my failure to protect you..." he said woefully, gazing at the picture. "But one day, I'll find the monster that took you away from us..."

He closed his eyes, exhaling and floating the picture back up into its position, sparking the candle with his magic and setting it aflame before turning and leaving his office, intent on distracting himself with inspecting the troops. Anything to take his mind away from the images assailing his mind.

Lit by the flickering illumination of the lone candle, was a faded picture of a much younger Shining Armor, smiling while cradling a small foal, a lavender-coated filly, in his hooves.

Author's Note

Aaand scene. Next chapter is where things get complicated, so stay tuned!

Also... NOPONY EXPECTS THE EQUESTRIAN INQUISITION!

Sorry, had to make that joke somewhere, and I couldn't, with good conscience, put it IN the chapter.

Chapter Twelve: The Marked Ones

A/N (March 1st, 2013): Quick note before this chapter starts. A part that was supposed to go at the start of this chapter ended up not having the desired impact in its position in this chapter as I thought it would, and I realized this the moment I tried fitting it. Instead, I re-allocated its slot to place it at the end of the previous chapter, where I hope it will do a better job than it would have done here. Those wishing for continuity (and those who have not read the added segment, added in on March 1st, 2013) should re-read that portion before reading this section.

Herald of the Night

Chapter Twelve: The Marked Ones

The air grew more and more musty with each step down into what Twilight's mind had automatically labeled as 'The Dungeons'. With each window - barred, of course - that they passed, the unicorn received a blissful, refreshing breath of air from the outdoors before another turn down the staircase.

She started panicking again. Her hyperventilation was forestalled by a reassuring nudge on her side from Zecora, whose eyes seemed to be taking in every detail, calculating as they went. All Twilight could really notice, once her focus had returned, was the overwhelming lack of saddlebags, which had been confiscated on their way down. This meant that both her books - and the invaluable and mysterious Lunar Sapphire - were gone from the safety of her possession. Neither of which was a good sign, should they be examined more closely. The pouch may elude notice, at least at first, but the subjects written about in the books would definitely hint at something more than a mere research trip's objectives.

The floor beneath her hooves, cold and dank, leveled out and stretched out into a long hallway of barred doors. The pegasus withdrew a key from beneath his right wing, where it had hung on a hidden catch upon his armor. The wards upon it assailed Twilight's senses, rudely informing her of the futility of trying to levitate it away from the pegasus guard.

Twilight was nudged into the cell, the metal door clanging shut behind her with an ear-cringing finality, and the sound of the guards' horseshoes retreated back up the stairs, leaving them alone in the dimly-lit corridor.

Well, at least she had thought she was alone.

As the guards departed with Zecora - taking her to another wing of the dungeon as per their instructions - and the dungeons grew quiet, Twilight became increasingly aware of the sound of shuffling hooves from the cell across the way.

"Hello?" came a tentative greeting.

Twilight was torn from her desperate staring through the window and the darkening sky, searching for the moon and failing to find it in the skies of the coming night. The purple unicorn turned and slowly approached the door to her cell and seeing the vague figure in the cell opposite hers. "Who... Who is there?" she asked, nervously trying to light her horn to give her some illumination. The light spell fizzled and sent a lance of pain through her head.

"Yeah, I wouldn't try that again. Don't get me wrong, we all tried that at some point. Only natural." the female voice chuckled as the white mare wrapped her hooves around the bars, looking out from beneath her scraggly pink mane, which she brushed aside for a moment to show the horn beneath it. "Magic dampener on this entire cell block. Gives one hay of a headache. I'm Twinkleshine, by the way."

"Twilight Sparkle." the lavender unicorn replied with a slight nod of greeting, still wincing at the pain in her head. "What's going on here?" Twilight asked, moving up to the cell door and looking over to the other mare, noticing a few other ponies appearing at the doors to their cells, as well. A pair of stallions and a handful of mares.

"What, you don't know? You're here for the same reason the rest of us are here. Cutie marks. As far as we've been able to tell, all of the marks here either have something to do with the stars or the moon. And you..." Twinkleshine squinted to look more closely at Twilight's flank, "... you got the short straw. You got both. Faust, I'd hate to be you, come morning."

Twilight's gaze flickered to her own cutie mark before looking at Twinkleshine's - three blue stars - "But... why?"

"I hear Shining Armor has a vendetta against ponies with moon cutie marks. Something about his sister's disappearance. As if he didn't already have a reason to be hard on us Marked Ones..." Twinkleshine said, shuddering at some memory that she alone was privy to, before continuing, gazing upon Twilight with pity. "If you've got any brilliant ideas on trying to get out of here, I'd get them out of your system before the guards get back. Use up your hope before they drain you of it and then break you."

"And Princess Celestia allows this?" Twilight asked, voice shaking. For all that Princess Luna had said of her sister... This wasn't exactly what she had been expecting. Ponyville had seemed so peaceful... Was it like this everywhere? The secret fear? The dread of what may come with the unspoken illegal cutie marks? This was not the act of a regal, loving and harmonious immortal. These were the acts of a terrified leader. "You said she vanished?"

Twinkleshine nodded, "Just after last year's Summer Sun Celebration."

"That's... That explains a few things." Twilight said, beginning to pace. A nervous habit, but one she had come to practice while thinking. It certainly did explain a few things. Princess Luna had been acting strange around that time, too, spending many hours in the observatory. Standing and staring at the stars, horn aglow, noticing nothing around her aside from the loudest noises. Luna had, of course, dismissed it as meditation, but no mere meditation utilized the level of power emanating from her horn.

"Personally, I think it has something to do with Nightmare Moon."

"Mmhm- Wait - WHAT?" Twilight gaped, having almost missed Twinkleshine's last remark. "Who's Nightmare Moon?"

Twinkleshine raised an eyebrow, "You aren't from around here, are you?"

Twilight waved a hoof dismissively, "It doesn't matter. What was that you just said? Who is Nightmare Moon?"

"An old mare's tale, don't listen to her, she's crazy," muttered one of the stallions.

"I am not crazy! My mother had me tested!" Twinkleshine said with a huff, glaring at the stallion before turning back to look at Twilight. "She's a dark harbinger of the night. Banished a thousand years ago by Celestia and the Elements of Harmony, but returns once in a while to gobble up foals and scare people on Nightmare Night! Bwahahahaha!"

Twilight looked strangely at Twinkleshine. "Yeah... okay...?"

"Craaaazy...." the stallion said with a smirk.

"It's true, though!" Twinkleshine said, stomping a hoof. "Foals go missing all the time, with little to no explanation! All the witnesses-"

"But there are no witnesses! Only crackpot conspiracy theorists like you! All rambling about Nightmare Moon and humans!"

"Stop it! Shouting solves nothing!" Twilight said, mind starting to strain with trying to take in all this information. Nightmare moon... a thousand years... Elements of Harmony... missing foals? Twilight turned to look out the window. The moon was still not visible through the barred aperture. No answers from Luna tonight. She'd have to make do with what she could acquire from the natives.

Taking a deep breath, she looked back to Twinkleshine. "I know it sounds weird, but I need you to tell me everything you know about this... Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony. Anything related to her banishment, too."

Twilight was almost disturbed by the look of glee on Twinkleshine's face before the pink-maned mare launched into an enthusiastic babble of information. Dawn was going to come all too soon and the lavender unicorn needed as much information as she could get before the guards came back.

Author's Note

Hopefully this chapter explained a bit. Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to get it right and I got stuck on a few parts. I don't own Twinkleshine. She appeared in the first episode of season 1 and, as such, belongs to Hasbro.

Chapter Thirteen: Strange Mares and Hidden Stairs

Herald of the Night

Chapter Thirteen: Strange Mares and Hidden Stairs

The distant horizon grew slowly from a midnight blue, dotted by twinkling stars, to a dawn sky tinged by the arriving sun, clouds alight with the fire of its passing as the light seemed to flow over Equestria like a sea of molten gold, bathing it with the radiance of Celestia's charge. And yet, through all this, Twinkleshine still had yet to finish all she had to tell about Twilight's requested topic of Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony. There were an astounding number of conspiracy theories, rumours, legends and myths surrounding the events of a thousand years previously. The accounts of the survivors of the Everfree fiefdom - Those that had not departed with Luna - had been passed down through the generations, but many of the details had faded into obscurity. Possibly due to some efforts at concealing the truth over the centuries.

What she could verify (as far as conspiracy facts were 'verifiable' in the loosest sense of the word) was what she and Luna had already figured out: Sometime around fifteen years in the past, the Elements had been moved from the Everfree to a secure location. However, the rumours couldn't seem to agree on where they had been moved. Some said a secure vault beneath Canterlot, which Twilight hoped for. (At least that rumour would place her in the right area, even if she was herself locked away at the moment.) Other guesses said that the Elements had been scattered to the four winds to prevent (or ensure, depending on the opinions about Celestia) some great disaster.

Celestia... Twilight mused, taking a brief moment to look outside the window at the rising sun, only half-listening to Twinkleshine's continued ramblings.

Twilight hadn't even had the time to ask about the reclusive Alicorn, aside from the occasional word squeezed in between Twinkleshine's occasional breaths. What she did know was the scattered accounts, the opinions ranging between benevolent ruler to insufferable tyrant. Any of these things could be true, for all Twilight knew of Equestria's Monarch. But much of what Twilight had read - and heard, directly from Princess Luna's own lips - had labeled Celestia as a strong, benevolent ruler, if a bit liable to get swept up in the moment.

But in the wake of what Twilight had seen and heard... The overbearing guardsmen... the subdued Canterlot ponies... the Marked ones... None of these were indicative of any sort of tyrant. If Twilight didn't know any better, Celestia's actions spoke of -- Twilight almost dared not even think it of an immortal Alicorn -- fear?

The rustle of military-grade armour was not a strange sound to Twilight's ears, having heard similar noises many times while wandering the halls of Luminus Castle. And with the coming dawn, Twilight could only assume they came to take her back into another audience with Captain Shining Armour.

Leaning against the bars of her cell, the lavender unicorn caught a glimpse of three guardsponies - oh-so-fancy in their gleaming gold armour and flawless white coats - tromping down the dungeon corridor towards the Marked Ones Wing. As they came to a halt, Twilight could recognize the one that had brought her down here fishing out his key to unlock her cell. Once it was open, he stepped back a little and to the side.

"You're coming with us."

At least Twilight would be prepared this time. She solemnly stepped forward between the two Earth Pony guards, giving them a slight glance. "Aren't you a bit short to be a Royal Guard?" she remarked to one of them, relishing in the small resistance she could offer without prompting violent reprisal.

The stallion in question snarled and pushed her forward roughly while the other one sniggered, hiding it expertly with a hoof. The pegasus barked at them to be quiet before leading the way back out of the dungeons. Twilight risked a final glance backwards, seeing the others watching her go with pity in their eyes. The white unicorn waved a hoof in farewell; a gesture which Twilight tried to return, but was shunted along by one of the guards. But before Twinkleshine disappeared from sight, Twilight was treated to a conspiratorial wink.

Twilight, of course, had no time to ponder this strange gesture. The small group headed back along the dark corridors, the ambient lighting gradually growing as the morning rose in its full glory. Through the occasional window, Twilight could almost see Ponyville, far in the distance. Beyond the small village was the Everfree Forest.

Her distracted daze was broken by a startled grunt and the clatter of armour on the stone floor. Her head whipped around to see the pegasus guard crumpling to the ground, one of the other guards standing over him. Noticing Twilight's slack-jawed confusion, the stallion next to her reached up with a hoof and tipped his crested helm off his head. There was a hazy swirl of an enchantment dispelling...

Pink. Ridiculous amounts of it exploded out of the ornate golden head covering. And 'he' wasn't a 'he'. 'He' was a 'her'. It took Twilight a moment to recognise the strange Earth Pony mare from Ponyville - much longer than it should have taken, she would admit - her fluffy pink mane poofing back to its usual shape. Twilight took a few steps back in surprise, bumping into the other guard - the one who had knocked out the pegasus - who removed 'his' helmet to reveal Zecora.

It wouldn't have been too strange. Maybe even believable... if her friend didn't still have the body of a pure white stallion clad in gleaming gold armour from the neck down.

"But... wha.... how did you... huh?" Twilight gaped, her head tilting in confusion.

A gentle hoof stemmed the tide of questions. "Friend Twilight, there is no time now to be agape. Now, with haste, we must make our escape." A nod to the pink pony elicited a gleeful grin and the mare - Pinkie Pie, if Twilight remembered correctly - crouched darted off the way they'd come, down towards the dungeons.

Twilight finally regained the power of speech, "But Zecora, we can't leave without the sapphire! Luna had you give it to me for a reason!"

"I knew you would worry for the blue gemstone's fate," Zecora said, as she nudged Twilight down a side passage. She paused for a moment, a white hoof reaching beneath the armour and drawing out the small pouch and proffering it towards Twilight, "We found it first. Sorry we're late."

Twilight eagerly took it from Zecora's hoof with a twist of telekinesis, clutching it to her chest with a relief-filled exhale before she tied it around her neck with the pouch's drawstring, turning to follow the departing zebra. Many questions swarmed through her mind, but she opted to hold off on them until they were safely away... except for one question:

"How are we going to escape?"

A questing hoof roamed the right-side wall as they trotted down the darkened corridor. "To find the hidden exit is hard. Revealed to me only by the Lunar Vanguard."

The hoof pressed down on a loose cobblestone, which slid into the wall. The was the grinding of stone on stone and a portion of the wall slid back and swung into a passage. Glowing gemstones illuminated a staircase that led downward.

"The Lunar what?!"

"No time to tell all that's happened, Twilight. We will explain when we're safely out of sight." Zecora asserted firmly, giving Twilight a 'look' and gesturing down the stairs. Behind them, there was a cacophony of quiet hoofsteps approaching and, around the corner, came the Marked Ones, led by a bouncing white guardspony stallion. With a flourish, he whipped off his helmet, allowing Pinkie Pie's head to whoomf back into existence like an inflating balloon. She flamboyantly saluted.

"Party guests retrieved! Private Pie ready for more!"

Twilight could only stare. The Marked Ones, aside from Twinkleshine, also seemed rather confused. Zecora just gestured down the stairs again and they all began to file down into the dimly lit passage. A second pushed stone prompted the concealing stone wall to swing back into place with a deep, heavy thud.

Author's Note

Sorry for the immense delay... Things have been hectic at work and my laptop decided to up and die. Not to mention my internet decided to stop working...

I hope to get back up to moderately quick updates soon enough, but I cannot promise anything.

Chapter Fourteen: Secret Societies

Herald of the Night

Chapter Fourteen: Secret Societies

The dimunitive breadth of the passage became oppressive after a few minutes after the relatively roomy passages of Canterlot Castle's dungeons. Though, the glowing crystals were a welcome change, not to mention a point of interest for Twilight's attentions. While glowing crystals was the status quo on the Moon instead of torchlight - due to the lack of oxygen on the Moon - these seemed to be of an entirely different breed, so to speak.

But even the distraction of these crystals - and Pinkie Pie's incessant bouncing - did not take away from the long drudgery of trudging (Or, as Pinkie Pie liked to call it, "trudgery" before going off on a tangent of words that rhymed with 'drudgery'...) through the long passage.

Just before Twilight had assured herself that she would go mad or beg to be taken back to her cell, a sliver of light appeared in the distance and she exhaled a sigh of relief, as did the various other escapees.

The group happily made their way into the light, into a small glade surrounded by trees and with a stream running through it. Pinkie called for a break before pulling out enough snacks and drinks for everyone out of her mane. Twilight, while biting into a nice daisy sandwich, glanced behind them at the tunnel entrance. Above and beyond it was the mountain upon which Canterlot sat. The tunnel had led from inside the castle down towards the foothills on the western side, into the northern reaches of the White Tail Woods. Pinkie bounced up to Twilight as the unicorn returned to her sandwich. Twilight noted that both the earth pony and Zecora had ditched the illusory armour.

"Now can you come to my party?" she asked, eyes lit up with unrestrained joy.

For a moment, the sandwich floated in a soft glow of Twilight's magic, forgotten as the unicorn gaped at the earth pony mare.

"Really? A party? Now?"

"Well, duuh! A party means ponies. Parties mean meeting other ponies! Meeting other ponies means gathering to go over clandestine plans to save Equestria by going into a forest, uncovering lost relics of ancient power, becoming best friends forever and saving a long-lost Princess!"

Twilight blinked.

"Or was that the book I read last night... Never mind!" Pinkie said, laughing.

Twilight quirked an eyebrow and, after a moment, returned to her sandwich. The nutritious snack was halfway to her mouth before Pinkie continued. "But in all seriousness, they are expecting you to be there. I already sent out the invitations!" Pinkie reached into her mane again and pulled out a garishly-colored envelope and hoofed it over to Twilight, who set down her sandwich and took up the note to look at it.

"A 'Welcome-to-the-Revolution Party'? What revolution? And what's this Lunar Vanguard I keep hearing about?" Twilight asked, her eyes roving over the paper. "And how are we going to get to this... 'Hollow Shades' without being seen?"

"Silly filly, we'll catch a train!"

"Did you miss the part about not being seen? How are we going to ride on a train when we've got around thirty fugitive ponies with us, freshly escaped from the Canterlot dungeons?"

"Um.... Excuse me..."

"Disguises!" Pinkie Pie replied, putting on a mustache and rubbing her forehooves together.

Twilight facehoofed and turned to Zecora. "Do YOU have any real, legitimate ideas?"

"Um.... I have an idea... If you don't mind..."

Zecora's ear twitched and she smiled softly. "If it is an idea you seek from an outsider's mind, perhaps you should take a look behind."

"Huh?" Twilight asked, looking behind her. A frail-looking yellow pegasus yelped, hid behind a pink mane and retreated behind a nearby bush.

Twinkleshine sighed and her horn glowed, using her magic to pull the pegasus out by her tail, wings flapping helplessly. "Sorry about that. Fluttershy has always had a hard time talking to other ponies ever since we were fillies. Luna knows I've tried helping her with that, but in a city full of unicorns, a pegasus doesn't exactly have many friend-making opportunities." she shrugged, waving a hoof helplessly. "Our parents had hoped that sending her off to Cloudsdale Flight Camp would help her meet others, but it didn't work. It didn't help that the Guard stormed our house when she was visiting. She never belonged in those cells with us."

She set Fluttershy back on her hooves and brushed a hoof reassuringly through the nervous pegasus' mane. "Go on, you can do it, sis."

The shy pony took a deep breath and ruffled her wings before looking away from her hooves and into Twilight's eyes. "Umm... well... We could... I... I know where the train stops in the forest... That cute little birdy told me." Fluttershy said, pointing at a robin that was perching in the branches of a nearby tree. "We could... sneak into the freight cars and ride to Hollow Shades... I mean, if that's alright with you..." she said, retreating behind her mane.

"That bird told you?" Twilight asked, casting a sideways glance at Twinkleshine with an expression that questioned Fluttershy's sanity.

Twinkleshine shrugged apologetically. Fluttershy just whimpered and her eyes turned down towards the grassy ground.

Twilight coughed, "Bird or not, it's a good idea," she said kindly, pushing forward a gentle smile. "And it's probably our best bet. Thank you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy just squeaked and retreated, wings fluttering nervously as she went back over by the bird, which chirped at her.

Twilight turned to the de facto council (consisting of herself, Zecora, Pinkie Pie and Twinkleshine), "Dubious though the source may be, it's our best bet to get to this... Hollow Shades?" she asked, looking for confirmation with the pink pony, receiving a nod in reply, "...without having to hoof it across open ground all the way. Not to mention that path would take us right past Canterlot and we can almost be certain that patrols will be out searching for us."

Zecora nodded, as did Twinkleshine. Pinkie Pie just started polishing a garishly-painted cannon, but Twilight had no idea where it had come from.

"Alright, let's get everyone fed and then Fluttershy will help us along to find this train station."

The train clattered along its rails noisily before Zecora slid the door shut, plunging the cargo container into darkness and muffling the noise below. The remaining sound was more like a metallic heartbeat slowly lulling the passengers of the car to sleep. Including a very tired lavender unicorn, who had collapsed on a pile of hay almost as soon as the train had started moving again.

Zecora spared a half-smile at the slumbering Twilight. Used to long nights the unicorn might be, but Twilight had gone several days with very little sleep and sorely needed the rest. The zebra paused in her strides to drape a thin blanket from her saddlebags (acquired on their way out of the dungeons) over the beleaguered Lunar pony, who slept fitfully in the dim candlelight.

Author's Note

Made a bit of an interesting choice, and I'm curious how it will be received. Somehow, it makes sense in my mind, but I'm wondering what you, the readers, will think about it.

Chapter Two: Explanations and Expectations

Herald of the Night

Chapter Two: Explanations and Expectations

"A CATAPULT!?" came a horrified squeak from Twilight.

Princess Luna sighed. "I told you not to panic, Twilight Sparkle. I can expla-"

Twilight, of course, was already in a full-blown breakdown, which had begun shortly after they'd entered the room. In the center of the room, illuminated by pale were-light orbs summoned by Princess Luna, was a large, LARGE catapult constructed of dark wood. High in the wall of the chamber was a hole, with a shaft that ascended into the darkness at an angle which lined up to the catapult's angled trajectory.

The unicorn mare's mind had already calculated the speed at which the catapult would send something up that shaft, allowing for the decreased gravity of the moon and the mass of the object launched - which she was getting a HORRIBLE feeling was just about her size - and she didn't like the results her mind came up with.

All this accompanied by rapid breathing, followed by a deep breath and a high-pitched scream that reverberated around the large chamber.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" came a booming voice that echoed painfully through both the chamber and Twilight's skull, sending the unicorn to the ground clutching her head.

"Wh-What?" Twilight managed to mumble out, her horn still aching down to the roots from the no-doubt-magically-enhanced voice.

"Do you trust me, my little pony?"

A loaded question if Twilight had ever heard one. To say yes would mean consenting to whatever nefarious plans the Princess had that involved Twilight, a catapult and a long shaft with, admittedly smooth but still very capable of friction, walls. To say no would... well.. it was the Princess! She couldn't just say NO. It would undo years of loyal service and hard work to get where she was now.

"Umm... can you ask me that after you tell me what's going on? I thought we were down here to find the gate," Twilight asked before remembering, "Your Highness."

"Did I say the gate was down here?" Luna said, putting a hoof thoughtfully up to her mouth, a contemplative look on her face. "If so, I apologise. The Old Gate is up there, at the end of the tunnel." She pointed at the shaft. "Buried centuries ago by a moonquake. I have spent the last few years boring up through the deep stone and ensuring that it is, indeed, safe to traverse. I have intended to bring forth this mission for years, but upon reaching the gate, I discovered that I was not able to pass through it... Not yet, anyway."

"Not yet, Princess?" Twilight asked, rising to her hooves.

Luna nodded and turned back towards the unicorn, "This is why I have asked you here, Twilight Sparkle. This is why I need you to go forth to Equus. You are familiar with the Elements of Harmony, correct?"

Twilight thought for a moment, "Perhaps not as familiar as I should be..." she said, blushing with embarrassment.

"Then what do you know, young one?" Luna asked, sinking down into a sitting position and regarding the unicorn with a patient expression.

"Well... There's not much written knowledge still around from way back then, but they were used over a thousand years ago against the chaos being Discord, wielded by yourself and Celestia... and..." she was halted by a raised hoof from Luna.

"That is the most you really need to know.The rest, I shall tell you. I just had to make sure you understood the concept of these relics. When we used the Elements to defeat and imprison Discord, locking him into a stony prison, the Elements were lost to myself and Celestia. The power we used drained them of their power, their traits scattered into the world and their shells reduced to stone. But this is not as important as their origins. They were originally stars. Where they came from, we knew not. Their power, so much more ancient than our own and impossible to comprehend. But in the midst of a war with Discord, we didn't question our good fortune when they fell upon Equus." Luna said, with a tone of guilt and regret. "We did not think that they were alive, much less sentient, but now we know better.I rue the day that my Sister and I channeled their souls into a weapon."

Luna faltered, the pained look in her eyes nearly cracking her composure. "However," she continued, "Now we have need of their power once more. Their shells reside, empty as they are, in the midst of the old castle in the middle of a forest named Everfree. At least, that was their last location before I left. Celestia and I kept the old castle there as a memorial of what was sacrificed during the war. If my sister has kept our traditions alive, the Elements' shells remain there still. I need you to find them and use their shells to locate their power, restoring their wandering spirits and..."

Luna faltered, her hooves shuffling on the ground before her. "And as much as I hate to use their awesome power against their will once more, the stars they used to channel can be of use to me, marking a beacon of My Night's power on Equus and bridging the gap to allow me and my ponies through."

Twilight was stunned, "So you're sending me..."

"To help me and our people return home, yes. So long ago, I thought myself capable of sustaining life upon my charge, the Moon. Time has made me wiser." Luna grudgingly remarked. "My magic, while still as strong as ever, cannot hold back the harsh, lifeless environment forever... The perimeter has been decreasing over the past decade, the oxygen levels dropping slowly. " Luna's expression became desperate. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say? What I'm asking you to do?"

The weight of the task hit Twilight like a pile of bricks the size of the moon. She was frozen in place while her mind struggled to parse the enormity of the mission ahead of her. A much more important task than any message, object or blessing that had ever been hers to deliver.

The Princess was asking her. Her, Twilight Sparkle, to help save the entire population of the Lunar Kingdom.

By way of a catapult.

We are so dead. You know that, right? It's a catapult. A bucking catapult.

Twilight quickly hushed that rebellious, self-preserving part of her mind, setting her gaze on the Princess before her.

She coughed and laughed awkwardly. "Umm... Strap me in?

Twilight nervously looked over the edge of the cup in which she sat, "Are we sure this is the only way?" she inquired, unable to keep her voice from quavering.

Princess Luna nodded, moving over to the lever which would release the catapult, sending Twilight launching up the shaft and through the portal. "Let's go over this one more time." the Lunar Monarch muttered, as much to reassure herself as Twilight, "I will launch you up through the shaft. You will pass through the portal, and once you are through, you must. NOT. LOSE. FOCUS. Whatever you see, as tempting as I know it to be, you must NOT lose focus on your destination."

Luna placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"While in the realm between Gates,you will see things that will test both the limits of your patience and sanity, until you reach the other side. I will protect you from them as long as I can, but the farther you get from the Moon, the more intense they will become. By the time you reach Equus, you will be under the influence of your magic and your magic alone. This is why focus is important. It will be all I can do to keep you from crashing."

Twilight gulped. "And... what if I crash?"

"You won't. I've planned this carefully, as long as you don't dawdle. We should have plenty of time before sunrise over Equestria, but we must hurry." Luna said, her horn glowing and lighting up the lever in a soft silvery-blue aura. It began to move, easily at first before it strained at the edge of its limits. "Good luck, Twilight Sparkle. If you need to contact me, know that I will be watching over your dreams as often as I can."

The lever slammed down. The catapult whumphed and Twilight became a blurry, streaking blob of lavender fur, horn aglow, absolutely flying up the shaft before, nearly out of sight, came a flash of incredible light that illuminated the entire passage... then nothing more.

Author's Note

A little longer than the last one, and a lot faster... I guess I just love exposition.