Night Wing, Cora, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends stood outside the Golden Oak Library after all the chaos vanished. Spike's cheeks bulge and the baby dragon lets out a loud belch with a blast of green flame flaring out of his maw. From the flames, a scroll tied with a red ribbon and gold stamp appeared in the air and landed in Spike's claw. He quickly opened the scroll and he cleared his throat.
"Dear Twilight Sparkle," Spike read aloud, "I, Princess Celestia, would like to personally thank you and your friends for ending Discord and his chaos."
"That was fast," Cora observed as Twilight smiled at her.
"You don't get to be a princess without being efficient," Twilight smiled. "Please continue, Spike."
Spike held up the scroll and continued, "By the time you read this, I will be on my way with some royal guard members to acquire Discord for proper security. Yours truly, Princess Celestia."
"Good thing the Princess' comin' to take that Discord away," Apple Jack stated as she wiped her brow with a hoof. "Even if he's trapped in stone, I'd feel much better knowin' he's in good hooves, I reckon."
"Too bad we couldn't keep the chocolate rain," Pinkie Pie cheerfully added as she bounced around.
"Leave it to Pinkie Pie to love that chocolate rain deal," Cora observed as she rolled her eyes.
Night Wing looked at the new statue of Discord lying on the ground. Discord's mouth was agape as if crying out in protest to being turned to stone again. His eyes were wide open as if surprised the Elements of Harmony were used against him again.
"So, you all turned him into stone?" Night asked Twilight. "With the Elements of Harmony?"
"Yeah," Twilight answered with a surprised look in her eyes. "How'd you know about the Elements?"
"Princess Luna told me about them earlier," Night answered. "I tried going to the princess for help, but Celestia was busy with something."
"Yeah," Spike groaned. "Busy sending all of Twilight's letters back to her," Spike groaned as he rubbed his belly. "I'm going back to bed," Spike said as he walked into the castle.
"Context?" Cora asked as she watched the dragon go into the library.
"For several weeks now," Twilight piped up, "I've been sending letters to the princess about all of learned about friendship since I moved to Ponyville. To help remind me of all those lessons, she sent them all back to me through Spike. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it was for him."
"You mean, he's been burping out letters all day?" Cora asked.
"Not all day," Twilight answered. "But still."
Trumpets suddenly filled the air and every pony in the group looked up to find Princess Celestia riding a chariot pulled by white pegasi flying toward the town. The chariot gracefully landed on the streets and came to a stop by the group. All the ponies, except for Twilight, bowed their heads in respect. Cora saw the others bowing and followed suit as Twilight rushed up to hug her mentor.
"I knew you could do it," Celestia exclaimed as she nuzzled Twilight.
"But, we almost failed, Princess," Twilight observed as she frowned at Celestia.
"And yet, you succeeded," Celestia countered with a warm smile. "The bond between you and your friends was strong enough to break through Discord's magic and you were able to defeat him with the Elements."
"I may not have been there to see it," Night piped up as she stepped forward, "but, she's right. Don't sell yourself short, Twilight." Night smiled at Twilight.
"Night Wing," Celestia beamed. "It is a pleasure to see you again." Night bowed at the princess.
"Your Highness," Night greeted. "I tried to see you earlier when Discord was spreading his magic, but I ran into your sister instead."
"Yes," Celestia replied, "Luna told me about your visit. My apologies for not being able to meet you."
"Oh, it's no trouble," Night said as she looked up. "I completely understand." Celestia smiled at the Muneris before her.
"Since you're here," Celestia began, "I'd like for you and Cora to meet me in Canterlot Castle first thing tomorrow morning."
"Wait, what?" Cora asked as she stepped next to Night. "Why would you wanna meet us?"
"While Discord was running rampant, a matter came up that concerns you," Celestia answered as she pointed at Night.
"It's nothing serious, I hope," Night observed as she watched the princess.
"Let's just say, it's something you'd be interested in," Celestia answered. "In the meantime, I have a certain troublemaker to take care of," she observed as she turned to the statue of Discord. "This one has caused more than enough trouble for a millennium."
"Hopefully that's the last we'll hear of that Discord character," Rarity observed as she played with her well-kempt mane.
Celestia and the guards gathered the statue of Discord and placed it on the chariot. Once the statue was secured, Celestia smiled at Twilight.
"Well done, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia beamed. "Keep up with your studies."
"Will do, Princess," Twilight bowed her head with a warm smile. Celestia climbed onto the chariot and the pegasi pulling it took off toward Canterlot to the north. All the ponies watched as Celestia returned to the capital until the chariot was out of sight.
"You think she wants to talk about that other Muneris we saw earlier?" Cora asked as she stood next to Night.
"What's that?" Apple Jack asked as she stepped up. "There's another one o' y'all here?"
"Apparently," Night nonchalantly answered as she thought about that white pony. She had never seen a Muneris that was not a pegasus. So, why did he have no wings?
"Well, maybe we can help find 'em?" Apple Jack offered with a warm smile. "I'm sure between the six of us, we could get some answers lickidy split."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, AJ," Night replied as she looked up. "When we saw him, he tried to do something to me." The six ponies blinked at what they just heard.
"Did he try to hurt you?" Fluttershy timidly asked with her ears pinned back.
"As if I'd give him the chance," Cora stated firmly with a bit of a growl. "I gave him a good kick to the face before he could do anything!"
"Nice!" Rainbow Dash cheered with a grin on her face. "I wish I could've been there to see that."
"Well, I'm sure it's quite the story," Rarity piped up, "but right now, I need a trip to the spa." The beautiful fashionista trotted off.
"Isn't that considered rude?" Night queried as she watched Rarity trot off.
"It's been a long day," Twilight answered. "Discord put all of us through the wringer."
"You can say that again," Cora added with a groan. "I hated being a lion."
"He turned you into a lion?" Rainbow Dash excitedly asked as she hovered before Cora to look her directly in the eye. "That is so awesome! That creep just took away my wings and made me think a single cloud was Cloudsdale with absolutely no loyalty to my friends or Ponyvil!"
"Discord made all of us the opposites of who we are so we couldn't use the Elements against him," Twilight explained as she stepped forward.
"So, everyone was hit by Discord's magic," Night observed as she hung her head, "except for me."
"Don't you fret about it, sugar cube," Abble Jack piped up as she rested a hoof on Night's shoulder. "Discord probably had some other thin' to get under your coat."
"I don't know," Night retorted. "He seemed to know a lot about me and my kind."
"He knew everything about all of us," Fluttershy timidly stepped in. "He knew about who we are, what element we represented. So, um, why wouldn't he know about you too?"
"That's a good point," Twilight agreed. "Discord's pretty powerful and old. It's not surprising he knows about you too."
"Hate to interrupt the chat," Cora piped up. "But, that Discord character has spoiled this whole day, and I'd like to relax. We were going to spend the day at the lake."
"Yeah," Night agreed. "We were just relaxing when everything started."
"I think we all could use some relaxation," Apple Jack agreed. "Whatay'all say? Let's spend the rest of the day by the lake."
"I think that sounds wonderful," Fluttershy softly agreed with a sweet smile.
"I'm gonna pass," Rainbow said. "I need to practice for the Wonderbolts and then I'm gonna catch some Zs." Before others could protest Rainbow's declaration, the pegasus flew off with a rainbow streak behind her.
"Well, I think we could all benefit from blowing off steam in our own ways," Twilight smiled.
~~)oOo(~~
The next morning, Night Wing and Cora were escorted through the halls of Canterlot Castle into a meeting chamber with multiple cushions placed neatly around a table decorated with tea cups and plates.
"You'll find your names beside your places," the escort explained. "Please, be seated while you wait for the princesses."
"Thank you," Night offered as she and Cora found their designated cushions.
"So, what do you think the princess wants with us?" Cora asked as she helped Night on her cushion before sitting in hers.
"I don't know," Night answered just as the sound of hoof-steps came from the open door. A unicorn stallion with a very unique horn protruding from his golden mane stepped in. His horn was red against his black coat and resembled that of a crystal. As he stepped into view, Night took notice of his flanks. They were blank.
"Greetings," the stallion offered with a bow of his head. "My name is Fire Fly."
"My name is Night Wing and this is my best friend, Cora," Night replied as she gestured a hoof to each of them. "Parden me, but are you a Muneris?" Fire blinked as he took a double-take at Night before he saw her blank flank.
"I'm an Erisumn," Fire answered. "So, you're a Muneris," he observed as he stepped forward. "I've never met one of your kind before. This'll be interesting." He took a seat on a cushion by the table. Cora watched Fire intently. "And a griffon too," Fire observed. "Best friend? How do a Muneris and a griffon become friends when they occupy different nations?"
"Night cared for me since I hatched," Cora explained.
"Interesting," Fire hummed as he scratched his chin with a hoof. Just then, an earth pony female walked in. Her coat was white and her mane was grey. She also lacked a cutie mark.
"Am I late?" she queried as she saw the others.
"Our hosts have yet to show up, so I'd say you're on time," Fire replied. "And you are?"
"I'm Crystal Clear," the mare stated as she bowed her head before walking in to find her cushion. "I'm a Serinum. You're a Muneris," she said as she looked at Night. "And, you're an Erisumn," she concluded as she looked at Fire. "This is history in the making. For the first time in who knows how long, all the Muneris are together in one place?"
"I didn't even know any other Muneris races existed," Night interjected.
"The Erisumn are aware of the others, but we keep to ourselves," Fire explained.
"Well, it's wonderful that we get to be a part of this," Crystal exclaimed.
"Excuse me, but how do you know that this is the first time all three of you have been together in so long?" Cora piped up with a raised brow.
"Oh, that's due to my power," Crystal answered. "I can see details of the past as if looking at a picture. Though, my power tends to be quite touchy. Sometimes I can get it to work when I want and other times it only works how and when it wants to."
"Well, that's convenient," Cora rolled her eyes.
"Do you all have unique powers too?" Night queried as she looked between the others.
"I am completely immune to flame and heat," Fire answered. "My father could bend the air to his will and my mother could take the form of ice."
"My mother was telepathic and my father was empathic," Crystal added. "Psychic powers are pretty standard in my family." Both Crystal and Fire looked at Night. "And, what might your power be, young one?"
"I can conjure up objects," Night answered as she made a small cup appear on the table.
"How practical," Crystal smiled.
"Announcing the royal sister, Princesses Celestia and Luna," a guard announced. Night, Cora, Fire, and Crystal all turned to see the two sisters walking side-by-side into the room.
"I must thank you all for coming this morning," Celestia smiled as she found the empty cushion with her name. Luna sat down beside her older sister. "It is an honor to see all three Muneris kind together."
"If you don't mind my asking, princess," Night said. "What's this about?"
"Hold on," Fire interjected. "This meeting is for the Equestrian monarchy and members of each Muneris race." Fire looked at Night and Cora. "I'm sorry, but your griffon friend must go."
"I never leave Night's side," Cora countered with a furrowed brow.
"I understand you are close, but this is an important matter that doesn't concern you," Fire insisted.
"Cora never leaves my side," Night interjected firmly. "Period."
"Cora is as much a member of the Muneris nation as Night Wing is," Princess Celestia chimed in. "She was born and raised in their nation which makes her native to the Muneris. So, she does have a right to be here."
"Oh, you were raised all the way out there?" Crystal piped up with a smile. "How extraordinary!" Crystal looked at Fire. "Fire, I think we can accept her presence here." Fire looked at Cora for a minute before letting out a hum.
"Very well," Fire said. "I will protest no further."
"Very good," Celestia said as she began pouring tea for all of her guests. "Now, I intended on setting Night Wing a letter yesterday, but there was a change of plans thanks to our old friend Discord."
"Speaking of which," Crystal interjected as she looked at Night Wing. "Did that creature's magic have any effect on you, young one?"
"It didn't," Night answered. "But, I don't remember him trying to use anything on me."
"But he did use his magic on everypony around you, yes?" Crystal insisted.
"That creep turned me into a lion and took away our friend, Blazing Feather's wings away," Cora explained. "What about that other Muneris he showed us?"
"Another Muneris?" Fire piped up with wide eyes.
"Yes," Night answered. "That Discord took us to Balitimare where a Sirenum was."
"Did he try anything?!" Fire continued with concern on his face.
"He pressed his gem against mine," Night answered.
"But I kicked him in the face before he could do anything else," Cora proudly added.
"Did you feel any dizziness or weakness in any way?" Crystal calmly asked.
"No," Night answered with a shake of her head. "Whatever he tried to do was stopped thanks to my friend."
"Thank the stars!" Fire sighed.
"What was he trying to do?" Night asked.
"Dusk can absorb natural abilities from other creatures," Crystal explained. "He requires physical contact to gain anything. When he does this, the victim is temporarily drained and, in some cases, they suffer amnesia."
"Hold on!" Cora said. "A friend we met in Griffonstone had those exact symptoms some time ago!"
"That's right," Night agreed. "We were on a trip to Fillydelphia where we found her in the hospital. She was completely exhausted and couldn't remember what happened the day before."
"Then, he's taken something from a griffon," Crystal sighed.
"Like what?" Cora asked.
"This is just speculation, but if I had to guess, he's taken the speed of a griffon," Crystal answered. "Which means, he can move as fast as any griffon."
"And who knows what else he has taken," Fire added.
"Eh em," Celestia piped up to get their attention. "I've been remaining silent thus far because you happened to be on the subject of this meeting."
"I'm afraid Dusk has taken the strength of several creatures here in Equestria for weeks," Luna added.
"How would you know?" Cora asked with a raised brow before the crack of a whip made her yelp.
"Apologies," Night said. "My friend tends to be a bit brash."
"There's no need for an apology, Night Wing," Luna raised a hoof. "For, I know this due to my position as the Princess of the Night. I rule over the night where dreams are the strongest. Many of our subjects have suffered nightmares of an earth pony stealing something from them. And it's the same pony in all of these dreams. A white stallion with a black mane and red gem on his forehead."
"That's the exact description of Dusk," Crystal said with a sigh. "Then we may already be too late."
"Hold on," Fire interjected. "Were these just the dreams of ponies, or do you see the dreams of all creatures in Equestria?" Fire asked Luna directly.
"Dreams are dreams no matter who has them," Luna answered. "Any creature who claims Equestria as their home is within my jurisdiction."
"Okay, so how many creatures share this dream?" Fira continued.
"I've seen at least one of each pony race," Luna began before looking at Night, "your griffon friend, a changeling--"
"A changeling?" Fire interrupted. "He's taken the power of a shapeshifter?!"
"I'm afraid so," Luna answered with closed eyes.
"Wait a minute," Night interjected. "Why is he stealing so much power?"
"Back in our homeland," Crystal began, "Dusk's power was considered to be dangerous. Too many times, Sirenum who had this power were corrupted and tried to gain more and more for themselves."
"We've had ponies with similar powers, but they never went rogue," Night said as she scratched her chin with a hoof.
"That's because this power is supposed to be temporary," Fire interjected. "It's a power quite common amongst the Erisumn, but it's always temporary. Those with the power use it for various tasks from heavy lifting to emergency care."
"But with Sirenum, it's different," Crystal added. "The power is permanent, and while the affected are only temporarily weakened, the power gained never fades."
"Wow!" Cora piped up. "Imagine all the strength one could get from that power."
"Exactly!" Crystal pointed at Cora. "In the past, Sirenum with this power are carefully watched over and trained so they don't let the power get to their heads. We thought Dusk was doing great in his training, but he was stealing power bit by bit from everything he could find. Insects, small animals, and other Sirenum in their sleep. He was clever in hiding his growing strength."
"But, why?" Night asked.
"Why else?" Fire asked. "He wants to be the strongest creature on the earth. To what end, who knows."
"In my experience, there are many reasons why one would seek power," Celestia interjected. "Anything from simply getting stronger to becoming the ruler of all. I knew one who wanted to steal all the magic in Equestria."
"What happened to him?" Cora asked.
"He's currently imprisoned in Tartarus," Celestia answered.
"And we must do the same to Dusk before he gets any stronger," Fire declared.
"We might already be too late for that," Crystal said as she held a hoof to her forehead with her eyes closed. "I see a dragon laying in the dirt looking weak. As if he's too tired to even snore."
"The dragon land is far from here," Fire exclaimed. "How'd he get the power of a dragon?!"
"Dragons migrate through Equestria," Celestia observed. "Even if they didn't, there are several dragons who call Equestria their home. My student Twilight has a dragon by her side almost all the time."
"Spike's just a baby," Cora observed.
"But, he's still a dragon," Night added. "It wasn't a baby, purple and green dragon you saw, was it?" Night asked Crystal.
"No, this one was much older," Crystal answered. "This one is blue and yellow. I can make out a cave with mountains of gold and gems piled around him. Dusk has definitely gotten bold enough to attack a dragon in its nest."
"Well, that much is a plus," Cora said.
"Do you think he'll come after Spike and the others later?" Night asked.
"I can say with certainty that your friends are safe for now," Crystal said. "He's only attacked one member of each race. Judging by what Princess Luna said, I think it's safe to assume he won't be attacking any more ponies. He's after other creatures to get stronger now."
"Sounds like he's taken a changeling, a dragon, and a griffon at least," Night observed. "What will happen when he gets every creature?"
"He'll obviously come after the other Muneris races," Fire observed.
"I'm not so sure it'll be as simple as that," Cyrstal said with a bit of a strained look on her face.
"What is it?" Night asked as she watched Crystal.
"I don't know," Crystal answered as she felt the blue gem on her forehead. "Could see two ponies with gems on their foreheads. They touch each other. Then everything goes fuzzy."
"What the jura is that supposed to mean?" Cora asked with a raised brow. "OW!" Cora yelped as Night glared at her.
"Qyts hiel dimkeu, Cora!" Night hissed.
"Profanity aside," Crystal began as she watched Cora before closing her eyes. "The only thing I can think of is something briefly mentioned in my studies." Crystal looked up at the other Muneris at the table. "Fusion."
"That's taboo!" Fire exclaimed sharply.
"What's "fusion"?" Cora asked as she leaned closer to Night.
"Well, fusion is when two things become one," Night answered.
"I know what fusion means," Cora huffed.
"It's taboo of the highest degree!" Fira insisted. "There's no way Dusk would dare go that far!"
"Please, settle down," Celestia interjected.
"Do forgive me, princess, but will not tolerate such talks," Fire protested.
"We are dealing with an extreme situation, Fire," Crystal said.
"What does fusion have to do with Muneris?" Night asked.
"I've seen images of Muneris I've never seen before," Crystal answered as she looked at Night. "Ever since I was a filly, images of a Muneris with a horn and wings kept popping up in my head, and they've only grown more frequent."
"No such Muneris exists," Night observed.
"You thought there weren't other Muneris races before," Cora observed.
"No, she's right," Crystal exclaimed. "No such Muneris exists."
"And there never will be one!" Fire declared. "I will not allow it!" With that, Fire stood up and rushed out of the closest window.
"Fire, wait!" Crystal called out after him. "You don't stand a chance against Dusk on your own!"
"I'm not going to face him alone!" Fire called out as he ran off.
"Should we try and stop him?" Cora asked as she stood up.
"I think it would be better to think about how to stop Dusk before it's too late," Crystal answered.
"Twilight Sparkle and her friends have access to the Elements of Harmony," Night observed. Crystal blinked as she looked at Night.
"The Elements of Harmony?" Crystal queried. "As in, the ancient charms capable of boundless magic?"
"You know of the Elements?" Celestia asked as Luna watched closely.
"I heard of them when I was a filly and studied them every chance I got," Crystal answered. "It wasn't easy since most knowledge of their existence comes from here in Equestria."
"Do you think they could work?" Night asked.
"I don't know," Crystal said as she scratched her chin. "If I'm correct, the Elements will only work for those chosen to wield them."
"I'm sure Twilight will be more than happy to help in this matter," Celestia observed.
"Okay," Crystal said as she stepped up. "But, we need to find out where he is and lure him into a trap first."
"I think I might be able to help with trapping him," Night observed. "When I first saw him, he said "I was gonna save you for last," before he tried to take my power."
"I'm afraid he might've been trying more than just take your power, but knowing that could make be a big help in this matter. In the meantime, I think you should return to wherever you're staying until we get things settled."
"And I'll alert Twilight and her friends for what's to come," Celestia added.
"Sounded like Fire's gonna get help catching this guy, so I think we don't have to worry about search parties," Cora observed.
"Alright," Night said with a confident smile. "I'm ready to play my part.